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M^NALLY 5 CQ^ 
n ANDY GUIDE TO 
T HE CITY OF 

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(i) 



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(ii) 



HOTEL AND CAFE 



Corner Eleventh and G Streets, N. 
Washington, D. C. 




American and European. 

Rooms with Board, !?i-5o to $2.50 per day; $8 to Si 5 per w. 

S^o ])cT month. 
Rooms only, 75c. and .ti.50 per day for each person. 
Special Rates to parties or permanent .gfiiests. 



c ; $30 to 



LOCATION Unsurpassed for Sightseers. 
HOMELIKE APARTMENTS, Light and Airy. 
ELEVATOR, STEAM HEAT, and other Comforts. 



#i^i*w*i*i*i*i# 



^euL...>iGro^ 




^ ' \>/^JKSniNCj TOM, D.C, 

(Formerly Welcker's.) 
AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN PLANS. 



Fifteenth St., near U. S. Treasury, Washington, D. C. 



European Plan, $i.oo per day and upward. 
First-class Restaurant and Cafe. 

American Plan, $3.00 per day and upward. 
Transient and permanent guests. 



L. M. FITCH, PROPRIETOR. 



mM0M0M0iB 



Rand, McNally & Co.'s 



HANDY GUIDE 



WASHINGTON 



DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 



BY ERNEST INGERSOLL. 



Third Edition, 



Wzih Maps and Illustrations. 



CHICAGO AND NEW YORK : 

Rand, McNally & CoMrANY., Publishers. 
1899. 




les ^£C.:iveo.32417 



HOTEL EMPIRE 

BOULEVARD AIND 63d STREET, NEW YORK CITY. 

I'alrojii/.cd by travelurs nn\\ tourists of tlic best class from all parts of the workl. 

A MOOERN FIRE^PROOF HOTEL OF THE FIRST CLASS, CONDUCTED 
ON THE AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN PLANS FOR THE ACCOMMO- 
DATION OF THOSE WHO WANT THE BEST AT REASONABLE COST 

F/VMOUS for the PERFECTION of its CUISINE and SERVICE 

Its I!eaiu;ful iuui Homelike Ajipointments and Sj^lendid Location. 
Within 12 minutes of all the principal theatres and great department stores, 

Electric cars runninp to all parts of the city pass its doors. 6th and 9th Avenue 
Railroad stations one minute's walk from the hotel. 

RATES MODERATE. 

Music by the Empire Orchestra every Evening. 

|:^'Send aiklress for our l)ook, " '!"he l'-m])ire. Illustrated." 

W JOHNSON QUINN, Proprietor. 

Copyright, 1896, by Rand, McNally & Co. | 

Copyright, 1897, by Rand, McNally & Co. / 

Copyright, 1899, by Rand, McNally & Co. ' 






a 

\ AN INTRODUCTION TO WASHINGTON. 9 

the Treasury. The rate mentioned is the lowest ordinary transient 

rate by the day ; a higher price must be paid for superior accommo- 

i^ations, and lower terms may be made by the month. Indeed, it is 

^ 'n-ue, though not generally understood, that for a long stay a man or 

a family can live as cheaply at a good hotel as at a boarding-house. 

AN ANNOTATED LIST OF HOTELS. 

The Arlington. — Lafayette Square facing Vermont Avenue, $5. 
This hotel, which has steadily increased its size and accommodations, 
until it is now the largest first-class hotel in the city, has been dis- 
tinguished for many years as the abode of great people, many 
cabinet officers and the like making it their permanent home, and 
holding conferences under its roof that have modified the policy and 
history of the whole country. 

Baltic, north side of McPherson Square. An elegant family hotel 
accepting transient guests. European plan. 

Cairo.— Fire-proof, fourteen-story building on Q Street, between 
Sixteenth and Seventeenth streets. This is primarily a family hotel, 
but is open to transient travelers, at $3.50 and $4 per day. 

Dewey, L Street near Fourteenth. A new hotel, opened in 1899, 
which has been built and furnished in a style to answer first-class 
requirements. Its manager is George D. De Shields. The hotel now 
contains 132 bedrooms, thirty-two of which are provided with a bath, 
and it has already been decided to double these accommodations. 

Baiic7'oft, at Eighteenth and H streets, is a pleasant hotel, largely 
occupied by families. Terms, $3. 

Chamberlin's, corner of Fifteenth and I streets. An expensive 
restaurant (p. 12), with a few rooms, chiefly permanently occupied. 

Cochran, Fourteenth and K streets. Terms, $3. 

Colojiial, formerly Wormley's, Fifteenth and H streets, $2.50. 

Gordon, Sixteenth and I streets. An extensive and elegant new 
hotel, patronized by the best classes of people. Conducted on both 
the American and European plans. Terms, special. This hotel is 
situated in the fashionable quarter just north of Lafayette Square. 

Ebbitt, F Street, corner of Fourteenth, $3. One of the foremost 
hotels for business men and political travelers, which built up a wide 
reputation years ago. It is favorably situated for sight-seers. 

Fredonia, a quiet, family hotel, very favorably situated near 
where New York Avenue crosses H and Twelfth streets. Terms, $2, 



1^> IfAXDY CriDE TO WASHINGTON. 

Hamilton, Fourteenth and K streets, $2.50. An old-time house, 
faeing on the pretty Franklin vSquare, where many Congressmen 
reside. 

The Ilotc-l Johnson, on Thirteenth Street, near Pennsylvania 
Avenue, is a hotel on the European plan, $1 , patronized almost wholly 
by men, chiefly those interested in theatrical and racing topics, and 
having a public restaurant. 

. La Fctras Hotel, at G and Eleventh streets, is in the midst of the 
shopping district. It has the distinction of being conducted upon 
temperance principles, and is filled with sober-minded folk, who find 
themselves very comfortable. Terms, $2. The restaurant (entrance 
on Eleventh Street) is a favorite luncheon place for ladies out shopping. 
La Normandie, on Fifteenth Street at I, faces McPherson Square, 
is large, new, and elegant, and has become a favorite among people 
of taste and means. Terms. $4. See illustration opjDosite p. i iS. 

The Metropoh'/an, on Pennsylvania Avenue, between Sixth and 
Seventh streets, has more rooms than any in the city, and is a popular 
stopping place with politicians, as many Congressmen and influential 
officials board there. There has been a hotel on this site for almost 
'X hundred years (p. 63). Terms, $2.50. 

The National, Pennsylvania Avenue, at the corner of Sixth 
Street, is another ancient hotel, patronized mainly by politicians, 
especially from the South. It was the scene of famous doings in Clay 
and Webster's times (p. 63). Terms. $2.50. 

Oxford, New York Avenue and Fourteenth Street. A comfortable, 
(piiet hotel, centrally located, and having many prominent boarders. 
Conducted on the European and American plans. Terms, f 2. 50. 

The Hotel Wellington occupies the house No. 734 Fifteenth 
Street (the next block above the Treasury), long famous as Welcker's, 
where many a snug congressional or lobbyist "little dinner" was 
given. American plan, I4; European, ,|i.5o. 

The Raleigh occupies a tall building at Pennsylvania Avenue and 
Twelfth Street, conducted on the Euroi)ean plan, ^i, and having a 
pul)lic restaurant on the ground floor. This hotel has lately been 
greatly extended by a lofty fire-proof addition destined to become 
the main part of a wholly new structure. 

The Rcii^i'ut, on the south side t)f Pennsylvania Avenue, at Fif- 
teenth Street, has an admirable situation, its bedroom windows over- 
looking thel)eautiful Executive Grounds and the Potomac. Terms, I3. 

Riggs House, Infteenth Street, corner of G. This large and 
handsome hotel has a singularly good situation at the very center of 



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STATUE OF PRESIDENT JAMES A. GARFIELD. 
Southwestern Entrance to Capitol Grounds. 







OPPOSITE THE TREASURY 
ONE BLOCK TROM. THE WHITE HOUSE,. 



The Hotel par excellence of the National Capital 



CABLE. ELECTRIC, AND HORSE CARS PASS THE DOORS 
TO ALL PARTS OF THE CITY. 



The most central!}^ located 
of any hotel in the cit3^ 



AMERICAN PLAN 

$3 per Day and upwards 



O. C. STAPLES 



Proprietor. 



A N IN TR OD UC TION TO WA SHING TON. 11 

the city, and has long merited its high reputation. Few modern 
hotels have the large, airy rooms and old-fashioned elegance main- 
tained here, and the table is excellent, attracting a high class of 
patronage. Rates, $3 to $4. 

The St. Jafnes, at Pennsylvania Avenue and Sixth Street, on the 
European plan ($1), has been a stopping-place for business men for 
forty years or so. 

The Shoreham, at I and Fifteenth streets, near McPherson 
Square, is one of the first-class hotels of the city, having a lofty, hand- ' 
some fire-proof building, with every convenience for luxurious living, 
and a central situation. It has numbered among its guests the high- 
est in the land, and has been the scene of many fashionable dinners 
and receptions. Conducted on both European and American plans; 
$4 to $5. 

The Hotel Varnum is a small, comfortable house on Capitol Hill, 
at New Jersey Avenue and C Street. S. E. Terms, $2. 

The Vemiome is an excellent, inexpensive hotel on Pennsylvania 
Avenue at Third Street, near the Capitol. $2 to $3. 

IVellingtoji. Formerly Hotel Page. See p. 10. 

Willard's, at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Fourteenth 
Street, is identified with the history of Washington (p. 66), where, 
especially just before and during the Civil War, it was the one great 
house of entertainment. It is of great size, and is still the resort of 
politicians and office-seekers, especially from the South. Terms, $3. 

Certain additional hotels, or regular boarding-houses, which receive 
short-term boarders at from $40 to $75 a month, but are mainly the 
lion-ies of families, are as follows : 

The Ardmore, Thirteenth Street, near F. 

The Aston, Eleventh and G streets. "■ ^ 

The Buckingham, 918 Fifteenth Street. 

The Clarendon, Fourteenth and I streets. 

Congressional Hotel, New Jersey Avenue and B Street, S. E. 

The Dunbarton, 623 Pennsylvania Avenue. 

The Eckington, Third and T streets, N. E., Eckington. 

The Everett, 1723 H Street. 

The Grammercy, Vermont Avenue, opposite Arlington Hotel. 

Hillman House, 226 North Capitol Street. 

The Irvington, 141 6 K Street. 

The Lincoln, Tenth and H streets. 

The Litchfield, Fourteenth Street, between I and K streets. 



12 HANDY GUIDE 7X1 IVASIII XGTOX. 

The Morrisett, Fourteenth and H streets. 

The Rochester, Thirteenth and G streets. 

The Windsor, New York Avenue and Fifteenth Street. 

Restaurants have multiplied and improved in Washington during 
the last ten years, which have also witnessed the disappearance of the 
old-fashioned, village-like custom of eating dinner as soon after 4.00 
o'clock as office hours would permit. Now Washingtonians, gentle 
and simple, lunch at i.oo and dine at 6.00 to 8.00, like other Christians. 

The most famous restaurants in Washington, since the disappear- 
ance of Wormley's and Welcker's, are ClLiimberlin s and Harvey' s. 
The former occupies a double house at 1 and Fifteenth streets and 
serves game and costly delicacies beloved of clubmen, prepared in 
the southern style which has made his terrapin, canvas-backs, etc., 
celebrated. The other, Harvey's, at Pennsylvania Avenue and 
Eleventh Street, is noted for its oysters. These and the S/iore/ia/n, 
Gordon and Raleigh are favorite resorts for after-the-theater sup- 
pers. The Losekam, 1225 F Street; the Bedford, Thirteenth and 
F streets, and La Fetra's (p. 10) are patronized largely by ladies, 
who can also fmd, on F, G, Ninth, Seventh, and other streets in the 
region near the public buildings, a large number of dairies, bakeries, 
ice-cream saloons, and eating-places of every grade, resorted to by 
government clerks, men and women, high and low. Dining-rooms 
are numerous on the Avenue and in Georgetown. The restaurants 
in the Capitol are good, especially that in the Senate basement, anO 
there are good ones at the National Museum and National Library. 
No distinctly French or Italian table d'hote has yet been opened in 
Washington, but several German establishments furnishing meals 
are known to those fond of German dishes and beer. 

Professional boarding-houses are plentiful, particularly in the 
region north of the Avenue, between Tenth and Fourteenth streets, 
and in the neighborhood of the Pension Building; and this quarter 
also abounds in private houses renting rooms and perhaps furnishing 
board. All these are indicated by small signs displayed at the door 
or in a window. The best plan fcjr a person desiring such quarters 
is to walk about, observe these signs, and examine what suits him. 
A man and his wife can get very comfortable lodging and board for 
$75 a month. 

Apartt)ii'itt Houses liave begun to arise in Washington, t)f which 
the most conspicuous is the lofty Cairo, on Q Street, between Six- 
teenth and Seventeenth. Other line apartment houses and family 



AN INTRODUCTION TO WASHINGTON. 13 

hotels are The Albany (ior gentlemen only), H and Seventeenth streets; 
The Cambridge, 1309 Seventeenth Street; The Cliftoji, Massachu- 
setts Avenue and Fourteenth Street; The Concord, New Hampshire 
Avenue, between S and T streets; The Frederick, Ninth and K 
streets; The Grafton, 11 39 Connecticut Avenue; The Portland, 
Thomas Circle; The Richmond, Seventeenth and H streets, and The 
lVoodmo7tt, Iowa Circle. 

The Shops of Washington are extensive and fine, for it is a city 
which calls for a good appearance and generous living on the part of 
its citizens. It is a city, moreover, where the strangers who come 
spend money. The principal shopping streets are Pennsylvania 
Avenue, Seventh, Ninth, F and G streets between Ninth and Four- 
teenth streets, but there are local groups of stores, especially for 
provisions, on Capitol Hill and in Georgetown. 

District and Municipal Affairs. 

The District of Columbia had a peculiar origin, and its constitution 
and history account for many of the peculiarities of the present 
capital city. The first Congress of the United States had the task 
of establishing a Federal capital, under a plan for taking in some 
small tract of land and exercising exclusive jurisdiction over it. In 
1790 a bill was passed, after many postponements and much hot 
discussion, accepting from the States of Maryland and Virginia a 
tract ten miles square on the Potomac, to be called the District of 
Columbia; but in 1846 Virginia's portion — some thirty-six square 
miles south of the river — was ceded back to her. Three Commis- 
sioners were appointed by the President (Washington) to purchase 
the land from its owners, and to provide suitable buildings for the 
President, Congress, and the public offices of the Government, but 
they had much difficulty in the first matter, as the inhabitants 
declined to sell their property at any reasonable price. Major Pierre 
Charles L'Enfant, a French engineer who had fought in the Revolu- 
tion, was appointed by the Commissioners to lay out the city within 
the District, but proved so irreconcilable to discipline that it became 
necessary to dismiss him, though his plan was essentially followed 
by Ellicott.'his assistant, who succeeded him. It is to L'Enfant, 
consequently, that we owe the broad, radiating avenues, superim- 
posed upon a plan of rectilinear streets, which cut across the avenues 
at many angles, and thus form oddly shaped lots that have stimu- 
lated the genius of landscape gardeners and architects. 



14 HANDY G UIDE TO WA SHTNG TON. 

The avenues were named after the States, and in a certain order. 
By reason of its midway and influential position, that had already 
given it the excellent soubriquet, Keystone State, Pennsylvania was 
entitled to the name of the great central avenue. The avenues south 
of this received the names of the Southern States ; the avenues 
which crossed Pennsylvania were named after the Middle States, 
Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and New York, while the New 
England States were left to designate the avenues then regarded as 
remote possibilities among the swamps and hills of the northwest. 
The curious way in which the capital has developed along the lines 
of the last-named group is typical of the growth and change in the 
balance of the whole country since L'Enfant's day. 

The rectilinear streets run exactly north and south and east and 
west. The streets running east and west are known by the letters of 
the alphabet, so we have North A and South A, North B and 
South B, and so on ; at right angles to the alphabetical streets are 
the streets bearing numbers, and beginning their house enumeration 
at a line running due north and south through the Capitol. This 
divides the city into four quarters, Northwest, Northeast, Southeast, 
and Southwest, each with its own set of numbers for the houses, 
arranged upon the decimal system — that is, loo numbers for each 
l)lock. This is repeated in a direction away from each of the Capitol 
streets ; all addresses, therefore, should bear the added designa- 
tion of the quarter by its initials — N.W. , N.E. , S.E., or S.W. In this 
book, as nearly everything mentioned is in the Northwest Qtiarter^ 
these initials are uniformly omitted for that quarter, but are always 
supplied elsewhere. 

In iSoo the seat of Government was established (p. 19) in Wash- 
ington, which was first so called, it is said, by the Commissioners in 
1791. The General himself, who was its most active promoter, always 
spoke of it as the Federal City. The town was all in the woods, and 
had only 3,000 inhabitants, mostly living in the northwestern quarter, 
or on Capitol Hill. Nevertheless it grew until 1S14, when, after a 
weak resistance at Bladcnsburg, it was captured by the British, who 
set fire to the public buildings and some private residences, intending 
to destroy the town altogether. A hurricane of wind and rain came 
that night to complete the destruction in some respects, 'but this 
extinguished the conflagration. Next day the British left in a panic 
of causeless fear, excepting a large contingent of deserters, who took 
this opportunity to stay behind and "grow up with the country." 



AN IN TROD UC TION TO WA SHING TON. 15 

The city was immediately rebuilt, and in i860 it contained 61,000 
inhabitants. When the Civil War broke out, Washington at once 
became the focus of attention from the whole country — a distributing 
point for Union troops, and a visionary point of attack by Confeder- 
ates; but it was well protected by forts and never had but one 
menace of importance (pp. 161 , 162). When the war was over and the 
city found itself with an enlarged population and a vastly greater 
importance, attention was directed to its improvement, emphasized 
by a determined attack upon it by Western men, who tried to move 
the capital to some point west of the Mississippi. 

The population of the District — which is a fairer statement than to 
quote the city merely — is now about 275,000, and it is steadily grow- 
ing. In 1800 it was 14,093, when the District held the nineteenth 
rank; now the rank is thirty-ninth — showing how much more rap- 
idly other more commercial towns have outrun this community. About 
one-third of the population is colored, but aliens are very few. 

The wealth of the District is shown by taxable property to the 
value of $191,500,000, to which must be added more than $200,000, 000 
of exempt property, chiefly belonging to the Federal Government, 
which, in lieu of assessed taxes, contributes one-half of all the Dis- 
trict's expenses, and practically has done much more than that in the 
form of public grounds, boulevards, and reservations free to the pub- 
lic and maintained at the public expense. The total expenditure of 
the United States for permanent buildings, improvements, and embel- 
lishments within the District, probably closely approaches $100,- 
000,000, but the results are worth far more than that. 

The Relations of the District and Federal City to the Union are 
very peculiar. The District — all of which south of the Potomac was 
returned to Virginia in 1846 — was accepted as territory belonging 
wholly to the Union, and to be governed directly by Congress. By 
the bargain made with the owners of the soil they deeded their lands 
in trust to two trustees, with an agreement that they should make 
such use of the area in laying out a city as they saw fit ; that all land 
taken for streets, avenues, and alleys should be a free gift to the 
United States ; that the lands selected for any reservations, or for 
public buildings, parks, etc., should be paid for at |66.66 per acre ; 
that the remainder should be laid out into squares and lots, to be 
divided equally between the original proprietors and the Government. 
It was agreed that the 10,136 city lots thus falling to the share of the 
Government should constitute a " city fund " to be used for assisting 



16 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

in the erection of the public buildings and for opening and making 
the streets ; and it was from the sale of these lots that the money for 
beginning the Capitol and the White House was raised. The land 
these and nearly all the other public buildings stand on cost the Gov- 
ernment nothing whatever. More than half the whole area of the city 
is reserved in streets and parks. In opening and preparing these 
streets and parks the early Government bore all the expense ; and, on 
the other hand, it retained entire control of the community'. Never- 
theless it was understood that in purely local matters the principle of 
"home rule " was to apply. 

In accordance with that idea Congress not only continued the 
municipal government already existing at Alexandria and George- 
town, but, on May 3, 1S02, established a municipal government, 
consisting of a mayor, board of aldermen, and council, for Washing- 
ton, which, with various modifications, was continued for 70 years. 

In 1 87 1, however, when the effort was made to move the Govern- 
ment into the West, friends of the city saw that something was 
needed to be done to make Washington more dignified, healthful, and 
attractive. The story of this has been so tersely told, in their excellent 
book, " The National Capital," by Hutchins & Moore, that I can not 
do better than quote it: 

" The movement for improving it was started by Alexander R. 
Shepherd, who afterwards became governor of the District under the 
territorial form of government established by Congress. The com- 
mon saying is that ' Shepherd lifted Washington out of the mud,' 
and it is undoubtedly true that to him the credit is due for the begin- 
ning and successful continuing of the vast improvements made in all 
parts of the city within a few years after 1S71. Shepherd was a man 
of indomitable will, and he had determined that the National cai)ital 
should no longer be a comfortless, repulsive place, but that it should 
become a metropolis in fact as well as in name, and an object of 
pride and admiration to the people of the country. He secured the 
friendship of President Grant, and awakened Congress to an interest 
in the affairs of Washington. He gained support in his plans from 
some of the i)rominent citizens, and he induced capitalists in the 
Northern cities to invest in the District bonds. Congress passed a 
Dill to abolish the old municipal government, putting in place of it a 
territorial government, with a governor and legislature. The Board 
of Public Works was organized, with Shepherd at its head, and the 
work of improvement was begun. An army of laborers was set to 
work to grade and pave the streets and avenues, to cut down and 
remove banks and obstructions, to reconstruct the sidewalks, to cover 
over the old canal, which had long been a nuisance, to set out 
thousands of trees, to develop the parks, S(iuares, and circles, tc 



AN INTRODUCTION TO WASHINGTON, 17 

build sewers and lay water-pipes, and to do many other things which 
would improve and beautify the city. 

" In a few years an almost incredible amount of work had been 
done. The old slovenly city had nearly disappeared. Fine business 
buildings and residences, churches and school -houses, new markets, 
new hotels, were erected. Shepherd's will was law, and his fierce 
energy pervaded everything. At least twenty-five millions were 
expended in the improvements, and the result was that Washington, 
after three-quarters of a century, became what had been predicted of 
it when it was founded — a magnificent capital." 

This, however, cost a great deal of money, and raised the taxes to 
a figure that made a mighty outcry, put an end to much work before 
comjDletion, and sent Mr. Shepherd a-flying with many hard names 
hurled after him. (He came back in '95, and was vindicated by a 
tremendous popular reception.) Congress again changed the form 
of local government, in 1878, and created the new arrangement now 
in practice. This consists simply of two civilian Commissioners 
aj^pointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, and one 
Army engineer officer detailed by the Secretary of War, the three 
constituting a Board of Commissioners for three years. They are 
empowered by Congress to make, and change at will, building, health, 
and police regulations. They also appoint all subordinate officials' 
and clerks. 

They are required to make and submit to the Secretary of the 
Treasury, annual estimates for all the expenditures within the District 
for the ensuing year. The tax -rate is fixed and taxes assigned by 
Act of Congress, and the taxes, when collected, are deposited in the 
United States Treasury so that not a cent can be expended for any 
purpose except as appropriated annually by Congress. One half of 
the amount to be raised is assessed upon the District, the other half 
is appropriated by Congress. The headquarters of District aflfairs Is 
in the District Building on Louisiana Av. , near City Hall. The 
District courts, except the Police Court, are in the City Hall, an old 
building in Judiciary Square, facing Four-and-a-half Street, where 
the jSIarshal and certain other functionaries also have offices. It was 
in this building, built for the court house, that Garfield's assassin, 
Guitcau, w^as tried, and other noted cases have been heard there. In 
front of it, upon a marble column, stands a monument of Lincoln 
carved by Lot Flannery, who has been described as a " self-taught 
sculptor." There is a certain rough vigor about it, but the tall shaft 
and big figure irresistibly suggest an ornamental umbrella handle. 






nlOilo 



11 n 





WEST FRONT. 



II. 

A TOUR OF THE CAPITOL. 



The great advantage that Washington enjoys in having been 
intelligently platted before any building of consequence had begun, 
I is signally shown in the choice of this central and sightly hilltop as 
the position of the Capitol. The grounds in front of the building 
were made perfectly level, but in the rear they sloped downward 
some eighty feet to the Potomac flats, which are overflowed occa- 
sionally even yet. The present arrangement of the park dates from 
i 1874, when it was enlarged to its present enclosure of forty-six acres, 
I and beautified by the late Frederick Law Olm stead. The splendid 
' marble terraces on the western side of the building, and their orna- 
mental approaches, together costing $200,000, are a part of the gen- 
j eral scheme of out-door decoration, which each year becomes more 
admirable as the trees and shrubberies mature. Man}'- attempts have 
been made to include foreign trees, beds of wild flowers, and 
memorial trees, planted by distinguished persons, but these have 
failed to survive in almost every instance. A pretty feature of the 
northwestern part of the park is the ivy-covered rest-house, one 
window of which looks into a grotto. The low stone towers, becoming 
vine-covered, in the western parts of the park, are the orifices through 
which is drawn the supply of fresh air for the ventilation of the 
Senate chamber and hall of Representatives. Immediately in front 
' (east) of the Capitol is the Plaza, where vast crowds assemble to 
witness presidential inaugurations, and where the street-cars and 
carriages land their passengers; and here, facing the main entrance, 
stands Greenoui^h's statue of Washington, sitting in acurule chair 
as the first great tribune of the American people. 

A statue of Washington was ordered by Congress in 1832, to 
signalize the centennial anniversary of his birth. The commission 

(18) 




THE CAPiTOL FROM SOLDIERS' HOME 



A TOUR OF THE CAPITOL. 19 

was given to Horatio Greenough,* who was then residing in Flor- 
ence, Italy, the only restriction upon the execution of his plan 
being that it should not be equestrian, and that the countenance 
should conform to that of the Houdon statue. His price of $20,000 
was accepted, and he devoted the principal part of his time for eight 
years to its completion. The intention was to place this statue in 
the center of the rotunda, over the mausoleum provided for Wash- 
ington in the undercroft (p. 38); but by the time it was completed 
and had been brought here in a special ship (1841), the idea of placing 
the bones of Washington in the Capitol had been abandoned, and 
the sculptor himself objected to setting it in the rotunda, because of 
the improper light there. After much discussion, therefore, it was 
decided to leave it out-of-doors. This statue, which is covered from 
the weather in winter and invisible, is of Carrara marble, and repre- 
sents, in heroic size, the Father of his Country in a Roman toga, 
which has slipped from his shoulders, lifting a hand of warning and 
advice to the nation. As a work of art, it has caused great contro- 
versy among people of taste. It is probable that we know too much 
of Washington as a man — he is too near to us — to make an attempt 
at classic idealization of him seem natural or pleasing. 

Beginnings of the Capitol. — The act of Congress of July 9, 1790, 
which established the District of Columbia as the National Capital, 
provided that prior to the first Monday of December, 1800, the Com- 
missioners charged with carrying out the law should have finished a 
suitable building for the sessions of Congress. When the Commis- 
sioners had accepted L'Enfant's plan for the city, they found this hill 
selected by him as the site of the National legislative halls, and as 
soon as the Commissioners could accumulate money enough from 
their land sales to make a respectable showing, they began the erec- 
tion of the two buildings first needed — the Executive Mansion and the 
Congressional halls and offices, which, at Jefi^erson's suggestion, it is 
said, came to be called the Capitol. One of the interesting features of 
early life at the seat of Government is the degree to which formal 
classics ruled in taste. The corner-stones were laid with Masonic 
rites and all possible parade, George Washington officiating; and 
there followed much speechmaking, firing of guns, and dining in honor 
of both these auspicious occasions. October 13, 1792, was the date 
at the President's House; but the corner-stone of the Capitol (marked 
in 1895 by a bronze plate) was not laid until September 18, 1793. Ma- 
terials were slow and uncertain, and had not Virginia and Maryland 

* Horatio Greenough was a native of Boston (1805), but spent most of his life 
in Italy, where he modeled many sculptures, including several to be mentioned 
in future pages, and a colossal group, entitled "The Rescue," made for this Gov- 
ernment, upon which he spent eight years, but which has never been executed. 
He died in 1852, and his biography was written in 1853 by Tuckerman. His 
brother, Richard S., (p. 32) was also a sculptor. 



20 HANDY GUIDE TO IVASIIINGTON. 

advanced the money Congress refused, the work would have stopped 
altogether. The town was yet only a muddy village in the woods ; 
and the Commissioners had to fight opposition and obstacles at every 
step. Nevertheless an edifice, such as it was, was ready for the Gov- 
ernment, which came from Philadelphia, bag and baggage, in a single 
sloop, and took possession during October, 1800. 

Whose was tJie plan has excited much controversy, for several 
minds contributed. The original sketch came from Doctor Thornton, 
a native of the West Indies, and then in charge of the Patent Oftice, 
and so pleased Washington that it was adojited. The plans were 
redrawn by Stephen H. Hallett, who was a student of Nash, the most 
famous house-builder of his time. Hoban, the architect of the White 
House, and others made suggestions, so that Thornton's plan was 
much modified; still less did it foreshadow the Cajjitol of to-day. 

Only the north wing, or that part of the main building containing 
the present Supreme Court rooms (p. 45), was finished in 1800, the 
opposite wing not being ready until 181 1. A wooden passageway 
connected them across the space now occupied by the basement of 
the rotunda. The expenditure up to that time had been $787,000. 
When, in 18 14, the British captured the city they entered the legis- 
lative halls, held a mock session of Congress, and soon the building 
was in flames. In 181 5 Congress authorized the Secretary of the 
Treasury to borrow $500,000 to begin repairs (for walls stood), and 
in 1S18 undertook the erection of the central part. B, H. Latrobe* 
took the architectural superintendence of the restoration, while 
the new central structure was planned and supervised by Charles 
Bulfinch. The original building was completed in 1827, at a cost, 
including the grading of the grounds, repairs, etc., of not quite 
!?2, 500,000. A fire in the library compelled the rebuilding of the 
western front in 1851, when additions were made, and the same year 
the corner-stones of the extensions, now known as the House and 
Senate wings, were laid; but these were not completed until 1S59 
(at a cost of nearly $9,000,000). Meanwhile the low wooden dome 
which had temporarily covered the rotunda was removed in 1S56, 
and the erection of the present iron dome was begun. 

Add to the sums above noted a million dollars for additional 

♦Benjamin H. Latrobe, born in England in 1764, died in New Orleans, 1820, 
was the foremost engineer and architect of his time. He became Surveyor of 
Public Huildings for the United States in 1803, and remained in office, exercising 
a broad and refined influence, until liis resignation in 1817, and to him the Capitol 
owes its best features. His successor was Charles Bulfinch of Massachusetts, 
wlio had planned the State House. City Hall, and Fancuil Hall in Boston, and 
many (jther i)ublic edifices in New England. Mr. Bulfincli remained in charge 
of the Capitol until 1830. 



A TOUR OF THE CAPITOL 21 

space for the grounds and the obtaining of water, two millions for 
improvements of the grounds and terraces, another million for repairs 
and improvements on the building itself, and various other items, and 
the cost of the Capitol to the present time approaches $15,000,000. 

The Front. — The original and proper front of the Capitol is the 
eastern, and the city has grown behind rather than before the state 
house of the nation, as it was expected to do. This contingency has 
been met by improvements at the rear of the building to increase the 
stateliness of its approaches, so that the Capitol now has two faces, 
different but substantially equal in merit. This new western front, 
although on the side from which most visitors approach, requires a 
long, toilsome climbing of terraces and steps; whereas the street-cars 
and herdics carry passengers to the level of the basement on the 
south side, and on the north side almost to the very entrance. It is 
therefore easier, as well as more proper, to begin one's survey of the 
great structure at the architect's original front door. 

This eastern front is the one usually represented in pictures, and 
it is imposing from every standpoint. One of the most satisfactory 
views of it is that obtained from the little car-passengers' shelter on 
the north side of the grounds. The massive and classic proportions 
of the Senate wing are near at hand, and its ornamental front cuts 
deeply into the dome, whose supports sink away in grand perspective 
to the Representative >ving, while the majestic dome itself rises tier 
upon tier of columns and circling architraves to its convergent roof 
and §tatue-crowned tholus. There is a wonderful feeling of breadth 
and grandeur, yet of buo^^-ancy, in this oblique aspect of the noble 
pile — all sunny white, save the color in the folds of the flag. 

The Capitol is 751 feet long, 350 feet in greatest width, and covers 
nearly four acres of ground, with 153,112 square feet of floor space. 
It is 155 feet high to the cornices of the main roof, or 288 feet to the 
crest of the Liberty statue. The dome of St. Paul's, in London, 
measures 404 feet to the top of its cross. The architecture is modified 
Corinthian upon a rustic base, plus a dome, and the material of the 
older central part is Virginia (Aquia Creek) sandstone, painted white, 
but the newer wings are built of Massachusetts marble. 

In front of the building stretches a broad paved plaza, and three 
flights of broad steps lead up to the central entrance and to each 
wing, lending a very effective appearance of breadth and solidity to 
the whole mass, whose walls are largely hidden by the rows of mono- 
lithic, fluted columns of Maryland marble that sustain the three broad 
porticos. The porticos of the wings have each twenty-two columns, 



23 HA XDV GUIDE TO WAS///XGTON. 

and ten more columns on each of their northern and western fronts. 
The pediment of the southern wing, which contains the House of 
Representatives, has no statuary as yet, though designs for it were 
made by Crawford; but the fa9ade of the northern wing, where the 
Senate sits, is doubly adorned. The tympanum is filled with an 
immense group by Thomas Crawford, emblematic of American prog- 
ress, which has displaced the Indians with the arts of agriculture, 
commerce, and industrial production, supported by the sword. This 
is considered the chef d'a^uvre of this talented American sculptor "*■ 
and will repay careful study. Crawford was paid $17,000 for the 
models, and the cutting of the marble (from Lee, Mass.) by several 
skilled Italian carvers cost f 26,000 more. 

The grand ce7it7'al portico, which dates from 1825, is 160 feet wide, 
and has twenty-four columns carrying a pediment of 80 feet span filled 
with an allegorical group cut in sandstone, after a design by John 
Quincy Adams when Secretary of State. It was executed by Luigi 
Pcrsico, a prominent Roman sculptor, who had many commissions 
here. This group represents the "Genius of America." America, 
armed, is resting her shield upon an altar, while an eagle perches at her 
feet. She seems listening to Hope, and points in response to Justice, 
who holds the Constitution and her scales. From the level of the 
portico extend two great buttresses, each adorned with pieces of colos- 
sal statuary in marble. That upon the south side represents Colum- 
bus, and is entitled " The Discovery of America." The sculptor was 
Pcrsico (1S46), who exactly copied the armor from a suit worn by Col- 
umbus, yet preserved in Genoa. The opposite group (north) is by 
Greenough, and represents an incident of frontier life as typical of 
" Civilization, or the First Settlement of America." Each of these 
groups cost $24,000. 

The inaiigtiratioti of Presidents of ihc United States has taken 
place upon this portico since the time of Jackson. A drai)c(l staging 
IS extended outward to accommodate the high officials who form a 
part of the ceremonial, and here the oath of office is administered 
by the Chief Justice in full view of a multitude of citizens. The 
only time when the public was kept at a distance was at the first 
inauguration of Lincoln, when the District militia guarded the stand 
and its neighborhood, and every window was filled with rifiemen. 

*Thomas Crawford was born in New York in 1814, and died in London in 
1857. He early became a student of Tliorwaldsen, at Rome, and afterward rose 
to eminence there as a sculnlor. Of liis numerous works the best known are 
the marble "Last of His Race" and "Pen"," in the New York Historical 
Society ; the bronze eriuestrian " Wasiiin.i^ton," at Richmond, Va. ; and his 
•works here. His bust, by GoKliardi. is in Sialuary Hall p 2S). 




THE ROGERS BRONZE DOOR. 
Eastern or Main Entrance to the Capitol. 



A TOUR OF THE CAPITOL. gg 

In the center of this portico is the great Rogers bronze door, 
which opens directly into the rotunda under the dome, and is among 
the most interesting objects at the Capitol. It was designed in Rome 
in 1858 by Randolph Rogers*, who received $8,000 for his plaster 
models, and was cast in Munich, in 1861, by F. von Miiller, who was 
paid $17,000 in gold, then at a high premium. It is nineteen feet 
high and weighs ten tons. 

The leaves or valves of the door, which is double, stand in superbly 
enriched casing, and when opened fold back into fitting jambs. Each 
leaf is divided into eight panels, in addition to the transom panel 
under the arch. Each panel contains a complete scene in alto- 
relievo. The scenes portrayed constitute the principal events in the 
life of Columbus and the discovery of America, with an ornate 
enrichment of emblematic designs. On the key of the arch of the 
casing is the head of Columbus, and on the sides of the casing are 
four typical statuettes in niches arranged chronologically — Asia, 
Africa, Europe, and America. The remainder of the casing is 
embellished with a running border of ancient armor, banners, and 
heraldic designs, and at the bottom, on either side, an anchor, all in 
basso-relievo, and emblematic of navigation and conquest. On the 
frame of each leaf of the door, set in niches, are sixteen statuettes 
of the patrons and contemporaries of Columbus, given in the order 
of their association with the announcement and execution of his 
theory of geographical exploration. The first eight figures are asso- 
ciated m pairs when the doors are closed, and divided when opened. 
All are labeled. The sixteenth is Pizarro, conqueror of Peru. The 
panels illustrate the career of Columbus, the third scene being his 
audience at the court of Ferdinand and Isabella. Between the panels 
are a series of heads, representing the historians of the voyages of 
Columbus, prominent among whom are Irving and Prescott. 

Niches on each side of this imposing entrance hold statues of 
War (on the right — a noble figure of a Roman warrior) and of 
Peace (on the left — insignificant), modeled by Persico and costing 
together $12,000; while above the door is a bust of Washington, 
crowned by Fame and Peace, which was sculptured by A. Capellano 
in 1827. Capellano is not known beyond his carvings here. 

Passing through the bronze doors, we enter the Rotunda. It 
occupies nearly the whole width of the center of the building, and 
IS unbroken to the summit of the dome. It is 96 feet in diameter 
and 180 feet high to the canopy. Its center is the center of the Capitol. 
The pavement is of sandstone, and the walls are plastered and broken 

* Randolph Rogers was born in 1825, studied in Italy from 1848 to 1850 and 
then opened a studio in New York, but returned to Italy in IS55 and remained 
there until his death in 1892. He made many notable monuments, including that 
of Washington at Richmond, Va. (begun "by Crawford), portrait-statues, and 
Ideal figures of much merit. He stands high on the roll of American sculptors 



24 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHIXGTON, 

into panels by engaged pillars, above which there is a broad entabla- 
ture. This is surmounted by a gallery (which has as good a ' ' whisper- 
ing" echo as that of St. Pcul's), formed of Corinthian columns connected 
by a balustrade; and this gallery and the rotunda are lighted by a 
belt of large windows, outside of which is the circular row of columns 
that form the external visible supports of the dome. From the 
entablature carried upon these pillars springs the concavity of the 
dome, arching inward to an opening 50 feet in diameter, at the base 
of the lantern, called the eye. This opening is encircled by a gallery 
and canopied by a painted ceiling, consisting of a circular piece of 
iron, covered with stucco, 65 feet wide. (See p. 26.) 

In the vast and somewhat obscure space of this immense apart- 
ment only a colossus, like the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor, 
would seem a fitting ornament. It was proposed to cut away the 
floor in the center and erect Greenough's figure of Washington, now 
on the plaza, upon an elevated pedestal approached from the crypt ; 
but this was not done, and all attempts at decoration have been 
confined to the walls, except the placing of a few statues. 

Four doors open out of the rotunda, and over each is a marble 
panel carved in high relief. That over the eastern, or main, entrance 
and exit is by Enrico Causici of Verona, a pupil of Canova, and 
represents the "Landing of the Pilgrims"; that over the northern 
door is by N. Gevelot, a Frenchman, and pictures William Penn mak- 
ing a treaty with the Delaware Indians ; over the southern door is 
another group by Causici — "Daniel Boone in Conflict with the 
Indians" — in which Boone's face was copied from a portrait by Hard- 
inge, and over the western door is Capellano's " Pocahontas Saving 
the Life of John Smith." These sculptors were all men who worked 
here about 1827, and each was paid $3,500. 

Each of the lower wall spaces carries one of the big historical 
paintings (18 by 12 feet), familiar to everybody through innumerable 
reproductions — even upon the paper currency and Columbian postage 
stamps of the Government. All are by American artists. Each has 
attached to it a label giving the names of the persons represented 
by careful portraits in its groups, and little more than a list is here 
needed. They fall into two classes — "Early historical" and "Revo- 
lutionary." The former are to a great degree imaginative, 
particularly the De Soto; but the latter are accurately true to the 
times and scenes they purport to represent. In the first class is 
the "Landing of Cohimbus at San vSalvador," in 1492, painted in 1839 



A TOUR OF THE CAPITOL. 25 

by Van Der Lyn,* who was paid $10,000 for it in 1842. The "Dis- 
covery of the Mississippi" by De Soto, in 1541, was painted by 
Powellf, who has closed his eyes to history and let imagination 
produce a picturesque effect; the date is 1850, and the price was 
$12,000. The "Baptism of Pocahontas" at Jamestown, in 1613, is 
nearer the truth, since the artist, J. G. Chapman,:}: did his best to 
represent the portraits and costumes of Rolfe, Sir Thomas Dale, and 
other Virginian colonists and Indian chieftains, who may be supposed 
present at the ceremony. Its cost was $10,000, and its date is 1836. 
The last of this colonial series, by Professor Weir,§ date 1840, price 
$10,000, is a picture of the farewell service on board the unseaworthy 
Speedwell, before it sailed from Delft Haven (the port of Leyden, 
Holland) for America, bearing the first colony of Pilgrims, who were 
finally landed on Plymouth Rock by the Mayflower. 

The four Revolutionary paintings are by Col. John Trumbull 
(1756-1S43), who was son of Gov. Jonathan Trumbull of Connecticut. 
For several months the young officer was aid and military secretary 
to Washington. After the war he studied in Europe, and conceived 
an ambition to produce this series of national paintings, in which 
each face is drawn from life, so far as sittings could be obtained, 
while others are copied from approved portraits. This faithfulness 
of detail interferes with the best artistic results, giving a certain 
hardness to all parts, but increases the historical value of the com- 
position. They were painted between 1817 and 1824, and cost the 
nation $32,000 — a large sum in those days. 

The first is "Signing the Declaration of Independence" in the Old 
Hall in Philadelphia in 1776, the arrangement of the group of figures 

*John Van Der Lyn was a native of Kingston, N. Y. (1776-1852), who early- 
became a pupil of Gilbert Stuart, and later studied and resided in Europe. Ot 
many works his "Marius Seated Amid the Ruins of Carthage" brought him most 
fame. Returning to America, he devoted himself largely to painting the portraits 
of public men, and a collection of his sketches remains at Kingston. 

+ William H. Powell, born in New York in 1823 and died there in 1879, was an 
historical and portrait painter who began study under Inman and continued it 
in Florence and Paris. His historical pictures have been widely engraved and 
are popular in the United States, and his portraits are excellent. (See p. 40). 

$John Gadsby Chapman was born in Alexandria, Va., in 1808; studied art in 
Italy; was one of the earliest and most active of the members of the National 
Academy after his return to this country; and lived in New York for many 
years as a general painter of high reputation, especially of miniature portraits, 
and an illustrator of books. He died in 1889. 

§ Robert W. Weir, who was born in New York in 1803, was for forty-two 
years Professor of Drawing at the United States Military Academy (West Point), 
and painted many historical and landscape pieces of high merit. He was the 
father of J. Alden and John F. Weir, both accomplished artists and the latter 
now Professor of Art at Yale. With the monev received for this picture he 
built the Church of the Holy Innocents at Highland Falls, N. Y. He died in 1889. 



26 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

having been made as Jefferson, Franklin, and others of the fathers 

described it to him. The "Surrender of Burgoyne at Saratoga" is 

from sketches made by Trumbull on the spot, October 17, 1777. The 

artist was also present at the "Surrender of Lord Cornwallis at 

Yorktown," portrayed in the third painting. The fourth of the series 

is the "Resignation of Washington" as commander-in-chief of the 

American armies, which took place, closely as depicted, at Annapolis 

on December 23, 1783, where Congress was then in session in the 

old Maryland State House. Trumbull painted many pictures besides 

these, a large collection of which is preserved at Yale College, in 

New Haven, Conn., as the Trumbull Gallery. 

Above each of the eight paintings are panels with arabesque 

designs by Causici and Capellano, containing medallion heads of the 

four great pioneers of American discovery — Columbus, Raleigh, 

Cabot, and La Salle. They were done in 1827, and cost $9,500. 

The Frieze, ten feet wide, just beneath the gallery, was left blank 

for many years, but in 1878 the talented Brumidi began a series of 

paintings intended to encircle the room (300 feet) and to carry out the 

historical theme to which all the rotunda decorations conform. They 

are chiaroscuro drawings in distemper — that is, expressed merely in 

light and shade and painted with a glutinous medium upon the 

plaster. A procession of somewhat conventional figures in strong 

relief, imitating the alto-relievos which the architect had intended 

to place here, beginning over the western door and progressing to 

the right (north) and so on around, marches through the cardinal 

scenes in American progress. Brumidi had completed less than half 

of the circle when he died, in 18S0. The work was then continued by 

Ills Italian assistant, Costagini, but was not completed until 1898. 

The estimated expense of so decorating this frieze was $10,000 — the 

favorite congressional figure for art pieces— and it has often been 

spent to worse advantage than here. 

On the Canopy of the Dome is Brumidi's* masterpiece, "The 

Apotheosis of Washington." Glasses will help one to study it from 

* Constantino Brumidi was born in Rome in 1805, studied art, and became a 
member of the Academy at thirteen. He painted frescoes in several Roman 
palaces, and worked in the Vatican for three years under Gregory XVI. The 
tradition is that he became involved in the European revolution of 1848, and was 
thrown into prison, whence he was freed, on account of his reputation, by the 
influence of I'ius IX, but was banished from Italv. At any rate, after the French 
took p<»ssession of Rome he came to America, where he remained until 1854, and 
then went to Mexico to do frescoes. Returning to Washington, he was employed to 
take charge of the mural decorations of the Capitol. He began with the room 
of the House Committee on Agriculture, and these pictures are said to have been 



A TOUR OF THE CAPITOL. 27 

the floor, but it should be examined from the gallery to be appre- 
ciated. The artist worked upon it several years, and the cost was 
nearly $50,000, of which Brumidi received $39,500, and an exceedingly 
skillful and beautifying result was obtained. 

The central figure is Washington, with Freedom and Victory at 
his right and left, and around them are female figures to represent 
the original States of the Union. The border of the canopy contains 
six groups of emblematic figures, representing the Fall of Tyranny, 
Agriculture, Mechanics, Commerce, the Marine, and the Arts and 
Sciences. The painting is glowing with color, and every portion of 
it is finished in a very careful manner. 

The ascent of the Dome may be made by a stairway (376 steps) 
opening from the passage to the Senate wing, and it is possible to 
climb even to the foot of the statue. Visitors are ordinarily contented, 
however, to stop at the great galleries, exterior and interior, which 
encircle the base of the dome. The view thence is an exceedingly 
wide and interesting one, but differs little from that obtained from 
the summit of the Washington Monument (p. 106), which can be 
reached by an elevator; few persons, therefore, climb these tedious 
stairways. 

" The huge dome," says Evans, " rising in its classic beauty far 
above the main building, is a fitting crown to the noble edifice. It is of 
cast iron and weighs nearly 4,000 tons. Large sheets of iron, securely 
bolted together, rest on iron ribs, and by the plan used in its con- 
struction the changes of temperature make its contraction and expan- 
sion merely 'like the folding and unfolding of the lily.' It was 
built from designs of Thomas U. Walter of Philadelphia, and cost 
$1,250,000. Eight years were required in its construction, so care- 
fully was the work done, and as it is thoroughly protected from the 
weather by thick coats of v/hite paint, renewed yearly, it is likely to 
last for centuries. Its base consists of a peristyle of thirty-six fluted 
columns surmounted by an entablature and a balustrade. Then 
comes an attic story, and above this the dome proper. At the top is 
a gallery, surrounded by a balustrade, from which may be obtained 
a magnificent view of the city and its environs. Rising from the 
gallery is the 'lantern,' fifteen feet in diameter and fifty feet high, 
surrounded by a peristyle. Over the lantern is a globe, and standing 
on the globe is the bronze statue of Liberty, designed by Thomas 
Crawford and cast at Bladensburg, Md. It is nineteen feet six inches 
high, weighs seven and one-half tons, and cost more than $24,000. 

the first frescoes in the United States. He also did frescoes for St. Stephen's 
Church in New York and for the Philadelphia Cathedral. His death, in 1880, fol- 
lowed an injury received upon the scaffold while painting the frieze of the 
rotunda. His work is strong in drawing, excellent in idea, and brilliant in 
color, and is in the style of the best Italian methods. Whenever he represented 
a stated event or included a portrait he took great pains that it should be truthful. 



28 HAXDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

It was placed in position December 2, 1863, amid the salutes from 
guns in Washington and the surrounding forts, and the cheers of the 
thousands of soldiers." 

This statue was lifted to its position in sections, afterward bolted 
together. The original plaster model is in the National Museum. 

Statues now adorn the rotunda, as follows : One is Vinnie Ream 
Hoxie's much-discussed statue of Lincoln, for which Congress paid 
$15,000 in 1870, after along debate, in which Senator Sumner made 
an illuminating speech on the application of art to the Capitol. The 
statue of Alexander Hamilton (:756-i8o4) is by Stone,* is dated 1868, 
and cost $10,000. Another statue by Stone is that of the Oregon 
Senator and Union soldier. Col. Edward D. Baker, who was killed at 
Ball's Bluff in 1861. The statue of Jefferson here has the following 
history, according to Ben: Perley Poore : "A spirited bronze statue 
of Jefferson by his admirer, the French sculptor, David d'Angers, 
was presented to Congress by Lieut. Uriah P. Levy, but Congress 
declined to accept it, and denied it a position in the Capitol. It 
was then reverentially taken in charge by two naturalized citizens, 
stanch Democrats, and placed on a small pedestal in front of the 
White House. One of these worshipers of Jefferson was the public 
gardener, Jimmy Maher ; the other was John Foy, keeper of the 
restaurant in the basement of the Capitol, and famous for his witty 
sayings." 

The eastern door of the rotunda opens upon the grand portico of 
the eastern front. The carvings above it have been described. 

The -western door leads to a rear stairway descending a narrow 
hall to the rear entrance of the Capitol and Pennsylvania Avenue. It 
also opens around the head of the stairway to the old Congressional 
Library, now moving into the magnificent new building described on 
])p. 49 to 55. The old library rooms occupy all the space in the west- 
ern front of the central building, and open upon a balcony which 
gives an exceedingly interesting view toward the river, the Treasury, 
and the principal i)art of the city. 

The northern door leads to the Supreme Court (p. 45) and beyond 
that to the Senate Chamber (p. 39). 

The southern door admits to Statuary Hall and the House of 
Representatives, in the southern extension, to which attention may 
now be directed, as the first step in a general survey of the Capitol. 

♦Dr. Horatio Stone was born in New Enjjjland about 1810; studied and prac- 
ticed medicine in New York. Later he became a .sculptor and resided in Wash- 
ington, where .several statues perpetuate his memory. He spent many of his 
latter years in Italy and died there in 1875. (See p. 43.) 



A TOUR OF THE CAPITOL. 29 

Statuary Hall. — Passing through the southern door and a circular 
vestibule, we emerge into a semi-circular hall ninety-five feet in great- 
est width, whose ceiling is a half-dome sixty feet high, beneath which 
is a spacious gallery filled with the Library of the House of Rep- 
resentatives. This was the Hail of Representatives of the orig- 
inal Capitol, and as first built it was an oblong rectangular room. In 
rebuilding it, after the fire of 1814, Latrobe converted it into a semi- 
circular room, talcing as his model, tradition says, an ancient theater 
in Greece; and doubtless it was an extremely beautiful apartment 
when fresh in color, lighted at night, and filled with a brilliant 
assemblage. At the southern end is a grand arch, supported by 
columns of Potomac variegated marble (breccia), with white Italian 
capitals copied from relics in the ruins of Athens. Many other 
similar pillars form a colonnade about the room and sustain the 
profusely paneled ceiling. The cupola, which admits such poor 
light as the room now gets, was the work of a young Italian 
artist named Bonani, who died soon after, and who took his 
design from the Roman Pantheon. The arch is adorned with an 
eagle sculptured from life by Valperti, another Italian of high reputa- 
tion, while a dignified model for a statue of Liberty, wrought in 
plaster by Causici in 1829, stands beneath the arch over the former 
position of the Speaker's desk. Opposite it, above the entrance door, 
remains the famous old marble clock. It is a notable object, and 
was executed in this city by C. Franzoni, an Italian sculptor, who 
died May 12, 1819, but the design is said to have been drawn by 
Latrobe. The theme is the Flight of Time. The Genius of His- 
tory is represented as standing gracefully upon the winged chariot of 
Progress, which is rolling over a globe belted with the signs of the 
Zodiac. History records the incidents of national life as Time 
overtakes them, and the wheel of her swift chariot forms the dial of 
the clock, which is marked with gilded figures. 

The House of Representatives used this hall from 1808 until 1814, 
and then from 1817 to the end of 1857. " Here," remark the authors 
of " The National Capital," "Clay, Webster, the younger Adams, 
Calhoun, Randolph, Cass, Burges, Wise, Forsyth, Corwin, Wright, 
and many others won reputation for statesmanship, and made the 
walls ring with their fiery eloquence. Here w^ere many fierce and 
bitter wrangles over vexed questions — turbulent scenes, displays of 
sectional feeling ; and here also was much legislative action which 
has gone into history as wise and beneficial. . . The old hall 



30 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON, 

appeared as follows in the latter years of its use by the House: The 
Speaker's chair and table stood on a rostrum four feet from the floor, 
and back of the rostrum were crimson curtains, hanij^ing in folds from 
the capitals of the ponderous marble columns which supported the 
great arch of the hall. The clerk's desk stood below the rostrum, and 
between the columns were sofas and tables for the reporters. The 
Representatives were provided with mahogany desks and wide arm- 
chairs, which were arranged in concentric circles. The hall could 
accommodate 250 members. A bronzed iron railing with curtains 
enclosed the outer row of desks, and this constituted the bar of the 
House. Beyond the railing was the members' lobby, and above the 
lobby were galleries seating about 500 persons. One of the galleries 
was reserved for ladies, and in two of its panels were paintings of 
Washington and Lafayette, which now hang in the present hall of the 
House. Under the paintings were large copies of the Declaration of 
Independence in frames ornamented with national emblems. The 
hall was lighted by a chandelier, which hung from the center of the 
domed ceiling." 

It was in this hall that ex-President John Quincy Adams, then a 
Representative for Massachusetts, was prostrated at his desk, on Feb- 
ruary 21, 1848, by paralysis, resulting in his death two days later. A 
star set in the floor marks the position of his desk. The gallery is 
now filled with the overflow of the House library from the neighbor- 
ing upper corridor, and the corners beneath, extending back to the 
rotunda wall, are occupied by the keeper of the House documents, 
and by the Committee on Enrolled Bills and its clerks. An inner office 
behind the latter is that of the clerk of the House, and is the room, 
then assigned to the Speaker, in which Adams died. 

The present use of this room as a hall of memorial statuary is 
due to a suggestion from the present Senator from Vermont, Justin 
S. Morrill, when he was a Representative, which resulted in an invita- 
tion by Congress, in 1864, to each State to send marble or bronze 
statues of two of her most illustrious sons for permanent preservation. 

As a beginning certain statues and busts owned by the Federal 
Government were collected here. They include Hubbard's plaster 
copy of Houdon's statue of Washington, the face of which was modeled 
from a plaster cast taken by Houdon* himself at Mt. Vernon in 1785, 
and Mrs. Fisher Ames' bust of Lincoln, upon a pedestal of Aberdeen 
granite (a gift), for which $2,000 was paid. Here also will be found 

*Jean Antoine Houdon, who was a cultivated French sculptor (1741-1828), 
educated in Paris and Rome, was employed by the State of Virginia to make a 
statue of Washington. He came and studied his subject, resided tor several 
weeks with the family at Mount Vernon, cast his face, and then made in Italy 
the original (.f this statue, now in the capitol at Richmond. It is the most 
faithful portrait in existence of the Father of his Country. This copy cost $2,000. 



^ TOUR OF THE CAPITOL. 31 

marble busts of Kosciusko, the Hungarian patriot, by H. D. Saunders, 
$500; of Pulaski, Polish soldier of the Revolution, by H. D. Mo- 
chowski; of Thomas Crawford, the sculptor (p. 22), by Gogliardi; of 
Senator J. J. Crittenden of Kentucky, author of the "Crittenden 
Compromise" measure, and Harrison's Attorney-General, by Joel T. 
Hart; and a portrait of Joshua R. Giddings, by Miss C. L. Ransom. 

A few States have sent the effigies called for, and they stand in 
the dim light as if petrified with surprise at the miscellaneous company 
of greatness in which they find themselves, and the tedium of wait- 
ing to be let out. Some are of high merit, but many are not, and 
none can be fairly estimated or enjoyed when set up in this gloomy 
and echoing hall, like a lot of gravestones exposed for sale in a 
dealer's warerooms. Following is a catalogue of these State statues: 

Wisconsin : Father James Marquette, missionary-explorer (1637- 
1675), by Trentanove. 

Rhode Island : Gen. Nathanael Greene (1742-1786; see p. 68), by 
H. K. Brown,* 1869; and Roger Williams (1606-1683), by Franklin 
Simmons, f 1870. 

California: Gen. James Shields, by Leonard W. Volk. 

Connecticut : Gov. Jonathan Trumbull (the original ' ' Brother 
Jonathan," 1710-1785) and Roger Sherman, one of the Signers (1721- 
1793), both the work of C. B. Ives, and placed here in 1872. 

New York : Vice-President George Clinton (1739-1812), by H. K. 
Brown, and cast by Wood in Philadelphia in 1873; Chancellor Robert 
Livingston (1747-1813), by E. D. Palmer, % cast in Paris in 1874. 

* Henry Kirke Brown was born in Massachusetts in 1814. He studied paint- 
ing in Boston, went to Albany, N. Y., and then to Italy. He returned in 1846 and 
settled in Brooklyn, N. Y. He modeled the equestrian statue of Washington 
now in Union Square, New York, the Scott Statue in Washington (p 124), and 
many portrait-statues. He was the chairman of an Art Commission, appointed 
by Congress in 1859, to advise it as to the rules of taste that should govern the 
decoration of the Capitol; its report is printed in House Executive Documents, 
36th Congress, ist Session, Vol VI, No. 43, March 9, i860. Mr. Brown died in 1886. 

t Franklin Simmons was born in Maine in 1841, and was attracted toward art 
from boyhood. During the war he spent his time in sketching and modeling the 
Union leaders, and made highly satisfactory busts of Lincoln, Seward, Chase, 
Grant, Sheridan, Meade, and many others. The commission for this statue 
enabled him to open a studio in Rome, where he has since resided and has pro- 
duced many other notable works, including several in the new Library. 

% Erastus Dow Palmer was born in Onondaga County, N. Y., in 1817, was a 
carpenter, then a cameo-cutter, but did not attempt sculpture until 1835, when he 
met with instant success. His public works are numerous, including statuary in 
the new Library. He resides in Europe. 



32 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

Massachusetts: Gov. John Winthrop (15SS-1649) by Richard S. 
Greenough (a brother of Horatio Greenough, p. 18), 1876; and 
Samuel Adams (i 722-1 S03) by Anne Whitney, * 1876. 

Vermont: Col. Ethan Allen (i 737-1 789), a colossal marble figure, 
date 1875, by Larkin G. Mead of that State; and Senator Jacob Col- 
lamer (1791-1865), Taylor's Postmaster-General, by Hiram Powers. 

New Hampshire: Gen. John Stark (1728-1822); Daniel Webster 
(i 782-1852). Both by Carl Conrads, after the statues in Concord, N. H. 

Maine: Gov. William King (1768 -1852), by F. Simmons, 1877. 

Pennsylvania: Robert Fulton (1765-1815), who was born in this 
State, but made his career elsewhere, by Howard Roberts; and Gen. 
John P. G. Muhlenberg (i 746-1 807), by Helen Blanche Nevin. 

West Virginia: Senator John M. Kenna. 

Ohio: President James A. Garfield (i 831-188 1) and Senator and 
Governor William Allen. Both are by Charles H. Niehaus. 

New Jersey: Richard Stockton (i 730-1 781), one of the Signers, 
in marble; and Gen. Philip Kearney (181 5-1 862) in bronze. Both are 
from models by H. K. Brown, 

Michiga7i: Lewis Cass (1782-1S66), Senator and Secretary of 
State, by Daniel Chester French — dated 1887, the sculptor of many 
portrait-statues, and of the Columbian " Statue of the Republic." 

Statuary Hall has surprising acoustic properties, which the Ca])i- 
tol guides have learned, and apply to the amusement of sightseers 
and their own profit. Curious echoes, whispers distinct at a dis- 
tance, and ability to hear what is inaudible to a person at your 
elbow, are among the curiosities of sound observable at certain 
points. The Capitol guides, it may be remarked, include some 
very well-informed men", who can make themselves of great use to a 
stranger in this immense and storied building; and it is the only 
place in the city where a professional guide is of any use whatever. 
The Capitol guides are permitted to charge fifty cents an hour, but 
are often cheerfully paid much more. 

The House of Representatives. — Leaving Statuary Hall by the 
door under the arch, you quit the limits of the old Ca,pitol, and 
traverse the corridor to the southern or House wing. The principal 
doors of the House confront you as you reach the lobby, each 
guarded, if Congress is in session, by doorkeepers, whose business 
it is to see that none enter who have not "the rights of the floor." 

♦Anne Whitney was born in Watertown, Mass., in 1821, and has done much 
of hi^h merit in poetry and sculpture, notably in the latter class her statue of 
Harriet IVIartineau at Wellesley College and the fountain of Leif Eriksen in Hos 
ton, the model for the .statue of which is now in the National Mu.seum 



A TOUR OF THE CAPITOL. 33 

The Hall of Representatives (occupied since December i6, 1857) 
is an oblong room 139 feet long by 93 wide and 36 high, the "floor" 
being 115 by 67 feet. The ceiling is a framework of iron, bronzed 
and gilded, inlaid with glass, upon which the coats-of-arms of the 
States are painted, mellowing rather than obscuring the abundant 
light. The Speaker's raised desk is against the southern wall, and 
below him are the marble desks of the clerks and official reporters, 
the latter keeping a stenographic record of everything done or said, 
to be published in The Congressional Record next morning. The 
assistant doorkeeper sits at the Speaker's left, and the sergeant-at- 
arms within easy call. This latter officer is the Speaker's policeman 
— the representative of the physical force which backs up the civil 
rule ; and his symbol of authority is the mace, which reposes on a 
marble pedestal at the right of the Speaker. 

"The mace was adopted by the House in the First Congress, and 
has been in use ever since. When it is placed on its pedestal, it 
signifies that the House is in session and under the Speaker's 
authority; when it is placed on the floor, that the House is in com- 
mittee of the whole. The mace is a bundle of black rods fastened 
with transverse bands of silver, like the 'Koman fasces. On its top 
is a silver globe surmounted by a silver eagle. When the sergeant- 
at-arms is executing the commands of the Speaker, he is required to 
bear aloft the mace in his hands." 

Grouped in concentric semicircles are the desks of the Representa- 
tives, all small, uniform, and handsome, those of the Republican 
party on the Speaker's left and those of the Democratic party on the 
right. When a division of the House takes place, all come down the 
side aisles into the space in front of the clerk's desk, and pass out up 
the central aisle between counting-tellers. Over the Speaker's head 
is the press gallery, and doors lead to the lobby and retiring rooms 
in the rear. Beneath the galleries, in rear of the Representatives' 
desks, are "cloak-rooms" — small apartments where the Members not 
only hang up their hats and overcoats, but smoke and talk beyond 
the hubbub of the House. Twelve hundred spectators may be 
crowded into the galleries. 

The Hall of Representatives is a business-like room — elegant but 
not over-ornamented. It is carpeted and draped in warm colors, but 
the prevailing tone of the decoration is white and gold. At the right 
of the chair hangs a full-length portrait of Washington as President, 
by Van der Lyn (p. 25), ordered by Congress in 1832, to signalize 
the hundredth anniversary of Washington's birth, and delivered in 



34 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

1S34, at the price of $2,500. On the left is Ary Scheffer's* portrait of 
Lafayette, painted in 1822, and presented to Congress by that artist 
in 1S24. The panel at the right of the "Washington" is taken by Bier- 
stadt'sf painting of the "Settlement of California," while occupying 
the corresponding panel on the west, adjoining the Lafayette, is the 
"Discovery of the Hudson" by the same artist, who was paid $10,000 
for each. Adjoinmg the last named is a fresco by Brumidi, repre- 
senting Washington treating with Cornwallis for the surrender of his 
army at Yorktown — a gift to Congress from this painter. 

Corridors surround the House, paved with Minton tiles, wain- 
scoted with marble, and having decorated ceilings and other adorn- 
ments. Turning to \)!1q right (w^est) at the entrance (p. 32), you find, 
just beyond the corner, the Western Grand Staircase, leading to the 
attic story or gallery floor. 

This staircase is double, with massive balustrades of polished 
Tennessee marble, and is lighted from the roof through stained glass. 
At the foot is a bronze bust of a Chippewa Chief, Bee-she-kee or The 
Buffalo, modeled from life in 1855 by Vincenti. The opposite wall is 
largely covered by the fresco by Leutze,:}: representing, in a somewhat 
stiff, conventional, and poor manner, western emigration under the 
title " Westward, Ho !" The action in the figures is the best part of 
the composition, for which the enormous price of $20,000 was paid. 
Strips of wall beside the j^icture are highly decorated. That on the 
right contains a portrait of Daniel Boone, as a typical explorer, an 
the motto: "The spirit grows with its allotted spaces; the mind it- 
narrowed in a narrow sphere." That on the left has a portrait o: 
Col. William Clark, to whose energetic action the LTnited States 
mainly owes its early possession of the Ohio Valley, with a familiar 
misquotation from Jonathan M. Sewall, which should read : 

* Ary Schefifer (1795-1858) sprang from an artistic German family. He wa 
educated at Paris and soon became well known as a painter of emotional genic 
pictures. He never became a great artist, but was widely known and popular 
on account of his high intelligence and amiable characteristics. He was closely 
associated with Louis Phillipe, and died in 1858. 

t Albert Bierstadt was born in Germany in 1820, but came to America when 
an infant. He had an oj^portunity of going to the Rocky Mountains about 1858, 
after which he went to Paris for art study. Returning, he traveled repeatedly to 
the Far West, and his always conspicuous paintings of Rocky Mountain scenery 
were very popular. He lives at Irvington, on the Hudson. 

% luuanuel Leutze was of German birth (1816), but passed his youth in Phila- 
delphia. He studied art in Kunjpe, especially at iJiisseldorf, and devoted him 
self to historical subjects, which he treated with vigor. His leading painting 
that of Washington crossing the Delaware. This and .several other Revolutir 
ary pictures have been engraved and are widely known. He died in Washi 
ton m 1868. 



A TOUR OF THE CAPITOL, 



88 



No pent-up Utica contracts your powers, 
But the whole boundless continent is yours. 
Beneath Leutze's fresco is a similarly treated sketch by Bierstadt, 
of the Golden Gate, or entrance to the Bay of San Francisco, Cali- 
fornia. 

The rooms beyond the staircase are offices of the clerks ot tne 
House, and the fourth (in the corner) is the Speaker's room. An 
elevator is near here. 

Turning down the corridor, across the southern end of the wmg 
and in rear of the hall, the handsome retiring-rooms of the Repre- 
sentatives are passed; and at the end, opposite the basement stairs, 
is the House lobby. 

This basement stairway is one of the four beautiful, bronze-railed, 
private stairs leading down to committee rooms, etc., on the floor 
below which are found at opposite corners of the halls of both the 
Senate and the House. Their balustrades are exquisite works of art 
in metal, were cast in Philadelphia after designs by Bandia, and cost 
something over $500 each. It is worth an effort to see them. 

The House Lobby is richly furnished, and contains many por- 
traits—most of which are inferior crayon-drawings — of the Speakers 
of the past, who find themselves in a sort of legal obscurity delight- 
fully suitable to the mysterious bargains and vague ' ' understandings " 
associated with this apartment, where Congressmen confer with those 
: whom they choose to admit. This and the adjoining apartments 
' are not open to public inspection after noon when Congress is m 

' session. ^ . , ^-u 1 r. 

Passing another bronze-railed stairway and turning to the left, 
three committee-rooms of great interest are passed on the eastern 
front of this wing. In the corner is that of the Committee on Appro- 
priations ; next comes that on Ways and Means, which is richly 
frescoed • and in the further (northeastern) corner is that of Military 
Affairs hung with a notable collection of paintings of the principal 
forts of the United States, gathered by Lieutenant-Colonel Eastman, 
USA From this corridor the Eastern Grand Staircase, similar 
to" the western, ascends to the gallery floor. At its foot is Powers' * 



36 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

sfatiw of Thomas Jejferson, which cost $10,000, but is difficult to see. 
Over the landing hangs Frank B. Carpenter's painting -of the " Sign- 
ing of the Proclamation of Emancipation," by President Lincoln, in 
the presence of his cabinet, September 22, 1862, presented to Con- 
gress in 1S78 by Mrs. Elizabeth ThomjDSon. Mr. Carpenter was for 
a considerable time an inmate of Lincoln's family at the White House, 
and has ^^Titten many interesting reminiscences of that time. 

Ascending to the attic floor we may again make the circuit of 
this wing through corridors whose inner doors open into the galleries 
of the House. At the top of the staircase hangs a full-length por- 
trait of Henry Clay, painted by Neagle* in 1S43. It is flanked on 
one side by a portrait of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the last sur- 
vivor of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, painted by 
Chester Harding, a contemporary and rival of Gilbert Stuart, and on 
the other side by a portrait of Gunning Bedford, a member of the 
Continental Congress from Delaware, painted by Gilbert Stuartf and 
presented by his family. 

Turning the corner toward the left we walk along the corridor in 
rear of the House galleries, the distribution of which is indicated by 
labels over the doors. The most conspicuous compartment is that 
devoted to the press, which has a broad space over the Speaker's head 
and facing the House; it is fitted with desks, and governed by strin- 
gent rules made by a committee of correspondents. More than half 
of the gallery, with seats for some 500 persons, is open to the public, 
which may come and go at will; portions of this are nominally 
reserved for ladies; but gentlemen with them may also enter. A 
private room for ladies, with a woman attendant, will be found in 
the south front. Certain rooms on this floor are devoted to House 
committees and other official purposes, and the second story of the 
corridor connecting this gallery with that of Statuary Hall is filled 

* John Neagle (1797-1865") was a Boston man who bejjan to paint landscapes 
about 1818, and later turned to portraiture, paintins^, amonij others, a portrait of 
Gilbert Stuart, now in Boston. He married a daujjhter of Thomas Sully, an 
eminent portrait painter of his time (p. 45), and lived in Philadelphia. His 
most notable portraits are this of Clay and one of Henry C. Carey. 

+ Gilbert Charles Stuart was born in Rhode Island in 1754 and died in Boston 
in 1828. He was taken to Edinburgh when eighteen years of age by a Scotch 
artist named Alexander, but soon returned and jjainted at Newport, Boston, and 
New York. When the War for Independence broke out he went to London, 
received instruction from Benjamin West, and rose to eminence. In Paris he 
painted a portrait ot Louis XIV. He returned to America in 170^ and painted, 
from life, a portrait of Washington [of which he afterward made .some thirty 
copies], and many worthies of the Revolutionary period. He is regarded as 
one of the best portrait painters America has ever produced. — B.J. Lossing. 



A TOUR OF THE CAPITOL. 37 

with the House's file of public documents, bound uniformly in sheep- 
skin, and now numbering nearly 150,000 volumes. The early records 
of Congress are very valuable. The only picture here is that of 
Chief Justice Marshall, which hangs opposite the head of the western 
staircase, and is an excellent full-length painted by R. N. Brooke in 
18S0. 

The basement of the House, to which an elevator makes a con- 
venient descent, contains the House post office (southeast corner); 
committee and clerks' rooms, of which several are elaborately free- 
coed ; a public restaurant (at the foot of the eastern staircase); 
elaborate bath-rooms for Representatives, and public lavatories for 
men (at the foot of the western stairway). 

The room of the Committee on Agriculture was decorated by 
Brumidi, as his introductory work, with what some critics have pro- 
nounced the best frescoes in the building. They represent Cincin- 
natus called from his fields to be dictator, and Putnam going from 
his plow to be a general in the Continental army. There are also 
sketches contrasting harvests in ancient and modern times, and medal- 
lions of Washington and Jefferson. Figures of Flora (spring), Ceres 
(summer), Bacchus (autumn), and Boreas (winter) accent the decora- 
tion of the ceiling. The Committee on Indian Affairs has the bene- 
fit of wall paintings of Indian scenes executed by Lieutenant-Colonel 
Eastman, U. S. A., whose collection- of pictures of forts, largely 
painted by himself, is preserved in the room of the House Committee 
on Military Affairs (p. 35). 

The sub-basement beneath this pan of the building contains the 
elaborate machinery for heating and ventilating the Hall of Repre- 
sentatives and this wing generally. Fxosh air is drawn in from a 
remote part of the grounds (p. 18), and its temperature, degree of 
dryness, etc., are regulated by ingenious machinery, which is open to 
inspection by visitors w^ho wish to descend to the engine-room. A 
similar apparatus is in the Senate sub-basement for the service of the 
north wing. The central part of the sub-basement is a labyrinth of 
dark archways used for storage when used at all. 

A basement corridor extends from end to end of the Capitol on 
this ground floor, and furnishes a convenient means of reaching 
the Senate wing without retracing one's steps. The white marble 
pillars will at once attract the eye. The connoisseur will remark that 
though of Corinthian mold, their floriated capitals represent leaves 
of American plants. This was a pretty notion of Benj. H. Latrobe, 
and a still finer example exists in the Senate vestibule (p. 41). Half- 



38 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

way down this corridor through the basement (which really is the 
ground floor, numerous doors opening directly upon the plaza and 
terrace), we come to the Crypt, an apartment formed of the spaces 
between the forty Doric columns that support the massive brick arches 
upon which is laid the floor of the rotunda; a star in the pavement 
marks the center of the building immediately beneath the dome. A 
large part of the crypt has been walled off for storage of documents. 
A passage to the left leads out to the western entrance and up-stairs 
into the rotunda; and another leads to the basement doors under the 
grand portico of the eastern front. 

The Undercroft is the name applied to the vault beneath the 
crypt, intended by the founders of the Republic as the mausoleum of 
Washington and his family; but these good people preferred to be 
buried at Mt, Vernon, and the " undercroft" remains empty. 

Passing onward, a few steps take one past the light-shaft to the 
door (on the right) of the old Supreme Court Chamber, immediately 
under the present chamber. It was in this room, now filled with the 
exceedingly valuable law library of the court, that all the great cases 
were heard previous to 1857. It was burned out in 189S. A few 
steps farther carry one out of the old main building and into the 

Baseme7it of the Senate Wing. Here there is a public restau- 
rant, public lavatories for both men and women, and many offices 
and committee rooms. All the corridors and vestibules at this end 
are well lighted, and the walls and ceilings are very profusely and 
elaborately decorated with mural designs in the Italian manner, 
daintily drawn and brightly colored. Among them are many por- 
traits. The vestibule of the Senate post office, in the northwest 
corner, is particularly picturesque, having over the post-office door a 
large painting of Fulton, pointing, as if from a balcony, to his first 
steamboat, the Claremont, passing the Palisades of the Hudson. 
The door of the Committee on Post-Office Affairs is suitably indicated 
by a sprightly picture of Franklin, who organized the American 
postofiice; while over the opposite door is a likeness of Fitch, 
Fulton's competitor in developing the idea of steam navigation. 

Other especially fine frescoes are to be seen in the room of the 
Senate committees on Indian Affairs, Naval Affairs, A^ilitary Affairs 
(where Revolutionary battles are pictured in glorious colors), and 
Foreign Affairs; the doors of the latter and of the Committee on 
Patents are further distinguished by frescoes by Brumidi above the 
lintels— in the former case " The Signing of the Treaty of Ghent,' 



A TOUR OF THE CAPITOL. 39 

and in the latter a full-length picture of Robert Fulton. The ren- 
dering over and over in painting and carving of the same subjects 
and faces is one of the peculiarities of the unsystematic and ununi- 
form embellishment of the Capitol. 

A stairway or an elevator at either the eastern or western end of 
the main corridor will take one up to the main story of the Senate 
wing. Here, as in the southern wing, corridors extend completely 
around the Senate Chamber, which occupies the center of this wing. 

The Senate Chamber is 113 feet long, 80 feet wide, and 36 feet 
high, including the galleries, which extend all around and will 
accommoda1!fe about 1,000 persons. The space under the galleries 
on the east, west, and south sides is partitioned into cloak rooms for 
the Senators, while on the north side is the Senate lobby. The area 
of the floor is diminished by these rooms to 84 feet long by 51 wide. 

The flat ceiling of iron girders inclosing broad panels of glass, 
painted with emblems of the Union, Progress, the Army, the Navy, 
the Mechanic Arts, etc., admits a soft light day and night. The 
marble walls are paneled by pilasters in couples, and the doors are 
of choice mahogany. The carpet is usually green, setting off well 
the rich old mahogany desks of quaint pattern, which, with the chairs, 
are now uniform, and the profuse gilding about the walls and ceiling. 

Each desk bears a silver plate with the occupant's name. A Senator 
keeps a desk only during a single Congress, drawing lots at the be- 
ginning of the next for a choice of seats — the Republicans sitting at 
the left, and the Democrats at the right of the presiding officer. 
Some desks are old and historic, being the same at which Senators 
distinguished in the early history of the Republic sat and wrote and 
delivered their forensic thunders. In the Fifty-fourth Congress, for 
example, that occupied by Mr. Allison was the desk at which Han- 
nibal Hamlin, of Maine, sat. Senator Cockrell occupied the desk used 
by Jefferson Davis, and Mr. Walthall that once occupied by Oliver P. 
Morton of Indiana. The desk at which Mr. Roach sat, on the back row 
of the Democratic side, was that of Mr. Edmunds. Senator Teller 
had that of " Zach " Chandler, and Senator Hoar sat behind the same 
desk at which Sumner sat. The desk occupied by Mr. Blaine is now 
used by Senator Hale, and is in the same spot. The old seat of Mr. 
Conkling is now used by Senator Murph3^ of New^ York, and SenUor 
Lodge sits behind the desk where Henry Wilson sat. 

The President of the Senate is the Vice-President of the United 
States. He sits upon a platform within an arched niche and behind 
a broad desk. At his right is the sergeant-at-arms, and at his left 
the assistant doorkeeper. In front of him, a step lower down, is 
the desk of the Senate clerks, and in front of that, on the floor of 



40 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

the arena, the tables of the official reporters. The press gallery is 
behind the President, and facing him are the galleries reserved for 
the Diplomatic Corps, and for Senators' families. The end galleries 
are open to the public, the eastern one being set apart for women, 
who will find a convenient parlor and retiring-room, with a female 
attendant, at its northern extremity. 

Busts of all the Vice-Presidents are being placed in niches in 
the walls, a recent embellishment, of which the following is a roster, 
with the names of the sculptors : 

John Adams (Daniel C. French), Thomas Jefferson (M. Ezekiel), 
Aaron Burr (Jacques Joavenal), George Clinton (Victor A. Crane), 
Elbridge Gerry (Herbert Adams), Daniel Tompkins (C. H. Niehaus), 
Martin Van Buren (U. S. J. Dunbar), George M. Dallas (H. J. Elli- 
cott), Hannibal Hamlin (Franklin Simmons), Henry Wilson (Dan. C. 
French), W. A. Wheeler (Edwin Potter), Chester A. Arthur (Aug. 
St. Gaudens), Thomas A. Hendricks (U. S. J. Dunbar), Levi P. Mor- 
ton (F. Edwin Elwell), Adlai E. Stevenson (Franklin Simmons). Busts 
of John C. Calhoun and R. M. Johnson have also been made. 

Outside the Senate Chamber many interesting things are to be 
seen on the main floor. Turning to the right from the main or 
rotunda entrance to the wing (and to the floor of the chamber), you 
find on the end w^all a famous portrait of Washington by Gilbert 
Stuart(p. 36), which was bought by Congress in 1S76, from ex-Senator 
Chestnut of South Carolina, for $1 ,200. Opi^osite it is a bright portrait 
of John Adams, copied by Andrews from Gilbert Stuart. Passing 
through the door between these portraits, and turning to the left, 
you come to the magnificent eastern staircase of Tennessee marble, 
illuminated by a rich skylight of stained glass. At its foot stands 
Powers' marble statue of Benjamin Franklin, which cost $10,000. 
The wall of the stair-landing bears Powell's (p. 25) striking paint- 
ing (an enlarged copy, for which $25,000 was jDaid by contract in 1S73, 
of an earlier picture, 1863, made by Powell for the State of Ohio) 
of Com. Oliver P. Perry at the battle of Lake Erie, in iSio, trans- 
ferring himself and his flag from his sinking flagship " Lawrence " to 
the " Niagara," in which he won a signal victory. 

This transfer was made under fire. Perry's younger brother, 
Matthew (who afterward opened Japan to the world), was then a mid- 
shipman, and is depicted liere as entreating his brother and comman- 
der not to ex])()se himself so recklessly. Tlie faces of the sailors were 
drawn from once well-known employes about the Capitol. 

Just beyond the staircase is a noble vestibule, with coupled col- 



A TOUR OP THE CAPITOL. 41 

timns, having Corinthian capitals, designed by Latrobe, though usually 
credited to Jefferson, and composed of a most graceful arrangement 
of Indian corn and tobacco leaves in place of the conventional 
acanthus. They are of white marble, but the walls are of scagl- 
iola. This vestibule opens upon the eastern portico through the 
Senate Bronze Doors designed by Thomas Crawford, cast by J. T. 
Ames at Chicopee, Mass., and set up here in 1868. 

This work of art is equally interesting, and the workmanship as 
fine in every respect as the main door. The upper panel of each 
valve (one of which represents War and the other Peace, as typified 
in the figures in the foot-panel of each half) contains a star surrounded 
by oak leaves, and acts 'as a ventilator. There are six panels, con- 
stituting the body of the door, in which are represented, in alto- 
re h'evo, events connected with the Revolution, the foundation of our 
Government, and the erection of the Capitol, chronologically as fol- 
lows: The battles of Bunker Hill, Monmouth, and Yorktown ; the 
welcome of Washington in Trenton on his way to New York in 1789 
(the same panel contains portraits of the sculptor, his wife, three 
children, and of Rogers, the sculptor of the main door); the inaugura- 
tion of Washington in 1789, and the laying the corner-stone of the 
Capitol, September 18, 1793. The prominent figures are all like- 
nesses. In the inauguration scene John Adams stands on Washing- 
ton's right; Chancellor Livingston administers the oath, and Mr. 
Otis holds the Bible. The remaining figures are Alexander Ham- 
ilton, Generals Knox and St. Clair, Roger Sherman, and Baron 
Steuben. The frame over the door is supported by enriched brack- 
ets. The ornamentation is scroll-work and acanthus, with the cotton 
boll, stalks and ears of corn, grapes, and entwining vines. Above 
the door are two sculptured figures in American marble representing 
Justice and History by Crawford, whose price was $3,000. It will 
be remembered, also, that Crawford designed the figures that fill 
the pediment of this portico (p. 22). This bronze door was his latest 
work; he was paid $6,000 for the designs, and Wm. H. Rinehart 
was given $8,940 for the plaster model, while the casting (14,000 
pounds) cost $50,500. 

Returning into the vestibule, it is well to turn aside through the 
first door, at the right, and see Brumidi's excellent frescoes in the room 
oi the Senate Committee 07i the District of Columbia. This was 
originally assigned to be the Senate post office, whence the artist's 
choice of History, Geography, Physics, and the Telegraph, as sub- 
jects for his brush. The figures in each design are large and strik- 
ingly drawn, and the decorative accessories are most pleasing. 

This vestibule opens at its inner end on the right into the Senate 
reception room, an apartment sixty feet long, but divided by an arch 
where Senators receive callers — especially ladies — upon business. It 



42 BANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

is gaudily ornate. The floor is of Minton tiles, and the walls are 
covered with rococo designs in stucco, in high relief, and heavily gilded. 
The vaulted ceiling has also many gilded stucco ornaments, and 
certain panels are embellished with allegorical frescoes by Brumidi, 
entitled "Liberty," "Plenty," "Peace," "War," "Prudence," 
"Justice," "Temperance," and "Strength"; while an excellently- 
drawn and brilliantly-colored mural painting, under the arch on 
the south wall, depicts Washington in conference with Jefferson 
and Hamilton — one of the best things in the Capitol. 

This room opens eastvv^ardly into the office of the sergeant-at-arms, 
where a very large ceiling painting is visible, and westwardl}^ it opens 
into the lobby. 

In the Senate Lobby, entering from the public receiDtion room, 
as above noted, the first door at the right opens into the Vice-Presi- 
denfs Room, where Henry Wilson died, November 22, 1875, and 
whose bust by Daniel C. French remains here as a memento. 

The next door admits to the Marble Room — a large senatorial 
reception or withdrawing room, popularly so-called because every 
part of its interior is formed of variegated and sculptured marbles, 
all from East Tennessee except the white Italian capitals and ceil- 
ings. Here the " grave and reverend " Senators hold consultations 
at ease, or receive their more privileged guests. Luxurious chairs, 
soft sofas, warm rugs, and lace curtains abound, and the room is 
dazzHng at night when all the lights are aglow. 

Next west of this splendid saloon is the President's Room, 
another ornate apartment where it has been the custom, since 
Andrew Johnson's time (except in Cleveland's case), for Presidents to 
sit during the last day of a congressional session, in order to be 
ready to sign bills requiring an immediate signature. This room is 
brilliantly decorated, including medallion portraits of President 
Washington and prominent members of his first cabinet — Thomas 
Jefferson, Secretary of State; Henry Knox, Secretary of War; Alex- 
ander Hamilton, Secretary of the Treasury; Edmund Randolph, 
Attorney-General, and Samuel Osgood, Postmaster-General. The 
four corner-frescoes overhead represent Columbus (Discovery), Ves- 
pucius (Exploration), Franklin (History), and William Brewster 
(Religion). Between these are symbolic fi_gures of Liberty, Legisla- 
tion, Religion, and Executive Power. All this work is by the versa- 
tile Brumidi, and in his best vein. The tiling of this and of the 
adjoining rooms is covered in winter by rich carpeting. 




THE SENATORIAL RECEPTION OR "MARBLE ROOM. 



A TOUR OF THE CAPITOL. 43 

This lobby and the three rooms last named are not visible 
during sessions of Congress, except by the courtesy of some Senator. 

The rooms opening from the corridor west of the Senate Cham- 
ber belong to the clerks and certain committees, and call for no 
special remark. The visitor may therefore pass on at once to the 
western grand staircase of white American marble and ascend to 
the gallery floor. 

Dr. Horatio Stone's (p. 28) statue of John Hancock stands at the 
foot of this staircase. It was sculptured in 1S61, and bought for 
$5,500. On the wall of the landing is the large painting, by Walker,* 
of the " Storming of Chepultepec" (captured by Scott's army on Sep- 
tember 13, 1847, during the Mexican War), for which $6,000 was paid. 
Roose says that it was "originally painted for a panel in the Com- 
mittee-room of Military Affairs of the House, and doubtless will 
eventually be placed there." At the head of the stairway hangs 
a full-length portrait of Washington, by Wilson Peale, f painted in 
1779, the first sittings for which were given at Valley Forge. 

This west corridor admits one to the gentlemen's and to one of 
the reserved galleries of the Senate, and to numerous committee 
rooms. The rooms in the northern front of the wing, behind the 
press gallery, are not public. 

Turning to the right from the elevator, or from the head of the 
stairs, let us walk around through the south corridor, whose doors 
admit to the Senate galleries, to the head of the eastern grand stair- 
way (p. 40), where the beautiful and faithful painting of the ''Recall 
of Columbus " merits close attention. The artist was Aug. G. Heaton, 
who was paid $3,000 for this picture, painted in 1S82. Immediately 

* James Walker was an Englishman, born in i8ig, who was early brought to 
New York, where he studied art, and later went to California, where he lived 
and painted until his death in 1889. His works were mostly pictures of military 
scenes, of which the best known, besides this example, were the "Battle of 
Lookout Mountain,", painted for General Hooker, and widely exhibited, and 
"The Repulse of Longstreet at Gettysburg." 

+ Charles Wilson Peale was a Philadelphian (1741-1827) who possessed a 
remarkable aptitude for all sorts of ingenious employments, having, for instance, 
been the first American dentist to make artificial teeth, and havmg a wide 
renown as a taxidermist, student, and lecturer upon natural history. He was 
the organizer of Peaie's famous old museum in Philadelphia, and was of great 
assistance to both Wilson and Audubon, the naturalists. When he turned his 
attention to portrait painting he was instructed first by Copley, in Boston, and 
afterward in London at the Roval Academy. In 1772, according to Lossing, 
he painted the first portrait of Washington ever executed, in the costume of a 
Virginia colonel; and, at the same time, he painted a miniature of Mrs. Wash- 
ington. ^He did military service and carried on portrait painting during the 
War for Independence, and for fifteen years he was the only portrait painter in 
America. Mr. Peale painted several portraits of Washington, among them one 
for Houdon's use in making his statue of the patriot (p. 30). 



44 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

beyond the stairway are two of the most interesting rooms m the 
building, a hall looking out upon the plaza, and another, adjoining, 
having a delightful prospect northward. These rooms not only con- 
tain fine tiling and mural decorations, but some notable paintings. 
In the former are Moran's * celebrated pictures of the canons of the 
Colorado and of the Yellowstone, which Avere painted from actual 
studies, and sold to the Government for $10,000 each. Those familiar 
with these marvelous regions of the country, know that the coloring 
is by no means too vivid, and that the drawing is highly expressive. 
Other art objects also adorn this room, whose tiled floor and stucco .- 
ornaments are worth notice. A marble bust of an Indian will repay \ 
careful study. 

There are also busts of Garibaldi — a very spirited sketch by his - 
countryman, Martegana; and of Charles Sumner, by More. The 
portraits are of Henry Clay, by H. F. Darb}^; of Webster; and of 
John C. Calhoun. This room opens into the gallery for Senators' 
families, the first and second seats of which are reserved for the 
President and Vice-President, and their friends. 

The adjoining hall (from which opens a ladies' retiring-room, with 
a woman attendant) has two historical paintings. One of these, 
representing the encounter between the Monitor and Merrimac, 
painted by Hallsall, f and purchased in 1887, for $15,000, is the only 
exception to the rule that no reminder of the Civil War shall be 
placed in the Capitol, an exception due to the fact that this was in 
reality a drawn battle, where the courage of the contestants was con- 
spicuously equal, and where the naval methods of the world were 
revolutionized. Its historical interest is therefore world-wide. The 
other painting is the crowded canvas by Cornelia Adela Fassett 
(cost $7,500), representing the Electoral Tribunal of 1877, which sat 
in the Supreme Court Chamber, and the result of which was the 
choice of Rutherford B. Hayes for President over Samuel J. Tilden, 
who had contested Mr. Haj^es' election. All of the faces in the room 

* Thomas Moran was born in England in 1837, but came to the United States 
when seven years old, and still lives in New York. He went to the Yellowstone 
Park in 1871, in company with Dr. F. V. Hayden, United States geologist, and 
later to Colorado and Utah, where he studied carefully, and has made many 
remarkable paintings of Western scenery among other productions. 

+ William F. Hallsall was born in England in 1844, but settled early in Bos- 
ton, and after receiving a good education, went to sea for seven years. He next 
studied frescoing, but gave it up in 1861 to serve two j^ears in the Union navy. 
He then became a marine painter, studied diligently and produced many stir- 
ring naval pictures. He is still a resident of Boston. 



A TOUR OF THE CAPITOL. 45 

are portraits, many of persons still living or recently dead, whose 
countenances are familiar to the public. 

On each side of this painting are portraits of Lincoln and Garfield, 
in Italian mosaic, the gift of Signor Salviati of Venice, Italy. A 
portrait of Charles Sumner, by W. Ingalls, dated 1870, and of Gen. 
John A. Dix, by Imogene Robinson Morrell, dated 1883, also hang 
here. 

It was John A. Dix, afterward a Major-General, Senator, and 
Governor of New York, who, when Secretary of the Treasury in 1861, 
sent to one of his special agenj:s in Louisiana the famous order con- 
taining the words: " If any one attempts to haul down the American 
flag shoot him on the spot," which so thrilled patriotic hearts. 

Descending, now, by the elevator or the eastern grand stairway, 
to the main floor, one walks to the mam corridor, where, upon the 
wall at the western end, hang beautiful portraits of Thomas Jeffer- 
son, a copy from an original by Thomas Sully, and of Patrick 
Henry, a copy by Matthews, from an original by Sully, an eminent 
painter of portraits and historical pictures, who died in Boston in 
1872. The portraits on the eastern wall have already been described 
(p. 40). 

The survey of the Senate wing has now been finished, and the 
Supreme Court Chamber is next to be inspected. This is reached by 
the main passage-way leading from the Senate to the rotunda. 
Here, as soon as the older part of the building is entered, one comes 
to the door of the Supreme Court, guarded by an attendant who will 
admit visitors upon all proper occasions. 

Beginning with the resort of the populace in the rotunda, the 
visitor has now inspected in succession the halls of the lower and 
upper house of Congress, and now concludes with the tribunal which 
passes upon the validity of the laws they pass. To sit at the rear of 
this old hall when the court is in session, as happens five days in 
the week, during the greater part of the year, is an impressive ex- 
perience. Any one may enter. 

The Supreme Court of the United States now occupies the 
chamber in the old Capitol designed for the Senate, and occupied 
by that body from 1800 until the completion of the new wing in 1859. 
Previously it sat in the hall, prepared for it, beneath this one (p. 38). 

This chamber was designed by Latrobe, and its general resem- 
blance to the old Hall of Representatives (Statuary Hall) will be 
noted; but it is smaller, measuring 75 by 45 feet wide and 45 feet 
high to the zenith of the low half -dome. Beneath the wide arch of 



46 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

the rear wall is a row of columns of variegated gray Potomac marble, 
with white Ionic capitals, in the center of which was placed the chair 
of the President of the Senate, draped, as now, by crimson curtains 
and surmounted by a hovering eagle. On the dais below him were 
the desks of the clerks, where now stands the long "bench" of the 
most august court in the land. At the right of the "bench" is the 
clerk of the court, at the left the Marshal; and the tables of the 
Attorney-General, official reporters, stenographers, and counsel 
legally admitted to practice here, occupy the semicircular carpeted 
" bar" formerly covered by the desks of Senators. In the rear are 
public seats; but the light iron galleries formerly built overhead have 
been removed, and the walls, with their marble pilasters and busts of 
past Chief Justices, are now wholly visible. The list of busts in 
order is as follows: At the right of the clock (as you face it) (i) John 
Jay (1789 to 1795). (2) Oliver Ellsworth (1796 to 1799). (3) Roger B. 
Taney (1835 to 1864). (4) Morrison R. Waite (1874 to 188S). On the 
left of the clock: (i) John Rutledge (an Associate Justice nominated 
in 1795, but never confirmed). (2) John Marshall (1801 to 1835). 
(3) Salmon P. Chase (1865 to 1873). The Justices, who, upon court 
days, enter in procession precisely at noon, wearing the voluminous 
black silk gowns which alone remain in the United States of the tra- 
ditional costume of the English judiciar)^ sit in a prescribed order of 
seniority. In the center is the Chief Justice; upon his right hand is 
the Associate Justice longest in service, and beyond him the second, 
third, and fourth; and then, upon the left of the Chief Justice, the 
fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth, or 3^oungest in rank of appointment. 
The court is at present composed as follows, in order of seniority: 
The Chief Justice, Melville W. Fuller, appointed in 1888; Associate 
Justices, John M. Harlan, 1877; Horace Gray, 1881; David J. Brewer, 
1889; Henry B. Brown, 1891; George Shiras, Jr., 1892; Edward D. 
White, 1894; and Rufus Peckham, 1895. 

The Robing Room, where the Justices meet informally and don 
their robes, is a handsome parlor, with much antique furniture, west 
of the corridor, and is adorned with some notable portraits of the 
Chief Justices of the past. 

The portrait of John Jay, by Gilbert Stuart, represents him 
arrayed in a black satin robe with broad scarlet facings. It was a gift 
to the court by his grandson, John Jay, late Minister to Austria. 
That of Taney, by Healy,* was presented by the Washington Bar 

* See biographical foot-note, p. 82. 



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A TOUR OF THE CAPITOL. 47 

Association. The portrait of Chief Justice Marshall is by Rembrandt 
Peale, and was presented to Chief Justice Chase by the bar of New 
York, and at his death was bequeathed by him to the Supreme Court. 
Neighboring rooms are devoted to court officers and clerks. The 
entrance to the Senate Library, on the floor above, is nearly opposite 
to the Supreme Court. 

A short corridor leads southward from the Supreme Court to the 
rotunda, and completes the tour of the Capitol. 

The Western Front of the Capitol is directly reached by leaving 
the rotunda through the western door and passing downstairs 
beneath the library, when you will emerge upon the terrace. 

Looking back you perceive the pillared and harmonious addition 
made to the original design of the building for the accommodation of 
the Library of Congress. It was first erected and occupied in 1S24, 
after designs by Latrobe. In 1851 it was burned out, over 30,000 
books and some valuable paintings being lost. Its restoration was 
immediately begun by Thomas L^, Walter, who added the two side 
halls, familiar to modern visitors, expending $300,000 in the recon- 
struction. The library was moved in 1897. 

The Terrace is a broad esplanade, separated from the basement 
of the building by a kind of moat, which permits light and air to 
enter the lowest story, which adds largely to the solidity and architec- 
tural grandeur of the Capitol when viewed from below. Underneath 
this terrace are a series of casemate-like apartments, which were put 
to a novel use during the early days of the Civil War, when this part 
of the building had just been put into form, for the completion of the 
surface and balustrade of this beautiful terrace is of much more 
recent date. 

The Capitol in war time was a citadel. Its halls and committee 
rooms were used as barracks for the soldiers, who barricaded the 
outer doors with barrels of cement between the pillars; its basement 
galleries were converted into storerooms for army provisions; and 
the vaults under this terrace were converted into bakeries, where 
16,000 loaves of bread were baked every day for many months. In 
Harper's excellent "Cyclopaedia of L"''nited States History," p. 947, 
may be seen a picture of this service, with the smoke pouring out of 
improvised chimneys along the outer edge. The "bakeries" are 
now clerks' offices and congressional committee rooms. 

Broad flights of stairs, parting right and left about a fountain, 
lead down to a lower terrace, in the center of which is the bronze 
sitting figure of Chief Justice John Marshall — one of the most 
satisfactory statues in the city. 



48 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

The artist is the renowned American sculptor, Wm. W. Story, 
who died in Rome in 1895. This statue, which was executed in 
Italy, was presented to the United States by members of the bar, 
while Congress supplied the pedestal. It was erected in 1884, and 
the total cost was $40,000. The Chief Justice, whose portrait is said 
to be an excellent one, is represented as seated in his accustomed 
court-room chair and wearing his official robe, while his open hand 
appears to be a gesture enforcing some evident truth or benign 
decision. Each side of the marble pedestal bears a group in low 
relief — one, "Minerva Dictating the Constitution to Young America," 
and the other, "Victory Leading Young America to Swear Fidelity on 
the Altar of the Union." 

From this statue broad walks descend to Pennsylvania Avenue 
and the Naval Monument (p. 72) on the right and to Maryland 
Avenue and the Garfield Monument (p. 73), on the left. 

"The Sidewalks of the Capitol Grounds, east of the Capitol, 
together with the stone seat which, with its back, forms the retaining 
wall or enclosure of the garden patches and grass plots, are worked 
in colors in a clever and pleasing way. Four colors in all are used; 
that is to say, colors distinguished by material or by a deliberately 
diversified stain; but each of these four colors has varieties of shade 
which make the whole composition varied enough. The seat and its 
back are composed of sandstone of an unusually bright red color 
and of North River bluestone, and the bluestone is used again in the 
curb of the sidewalk, which curb is unusually broad and tells as a very 
visible part of the surface of the broad sidewalk. In the sidewalk 
itself the colors of these two stones are imitated as closely as may 
be in artificial stone of some sort, and two other stains, alight reddish 
gray and another gray which is nearly white, are added in the same 
material. These colors are combined in a large and bold pattern, 
occupying the whole width of the wide sidewalk, and the pattern 
differs in difi'erent parts of the ground, for there are hundreds of 
feet of this sidewalk, and room enough for many different designs. 
Nor is it to be supposed that these patterns are only suggested, or 
are but faintly visible. The contrast of color is decided enough." — 
New York Evening Post. 



III. 



THE NEW BUILDING FOR THE 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



The Library of Congress, which originated with the purchase in 
London in 1S02 of some 3,000 books of reference, was used as kin- 
dling material by the vandals who gleefully burned the Capitol and 
Its records in 18 14. A new foundation was laid by the purchase of 
Thomas Jefferson's private library, and in 185 1 the collection had 
increased to 60,000 volumes, when half of it, or more, was again 
swept away by fire. After this damage was repaired by the recon- 
struction of the library front of the Capitol (p. 20), the growth was 
rapid, and the shelf -room speedily overflowed. 

The arrangement by which the library received and continues to 
receive all the publications acquired by the Smithsonian system of 
international exchanges (p. 114), the Peter Force* and Doctor Tonerf 
historical collections of rare books, pamphlets, engravings, etc., and 
the steady accumulations under the action of the copyright law have 
been the principal nuclei. Congress was very liberal to the library 
m Its earlier days, and now grants about $55,000 a year for its 
support. It now contains over 1,000,000 books and pamphlets alone. 

From 1829 to 1 861 the Librarian was John S. Meehan, of New 

o«^*^t^^^^^^^?x®. ^i?-^ born in 1790, became a prominent printer in New York 
nrfn t.^r^!f>''' Washmgton in 1812, where he died in 1868, after a SsefuMife as 
prmter, editor, and publicist. He collected an immense amount of niaterial fo? 
a documentary history of the American colonies and Revolution, of whfch nine 
volumes were published His collection of documents, manuscripts, pamphTefs 
pictures, etc., was bought by the Government for $100,000. , pampniets, 

+ Dr. J. M. Toner, now well advanced in life, has spent manv vears in histori- 
cal research and the gathering of a great store of books, engilvtng! and other 
tTfibm^v Hp^«^"nl' ^^^?^^^"^^" ^^dition to those here^tofore^d^pJsited in 
tiie library. He has also endowed a course of scientific lectures, given annuallv 
wishlngton"'^'' intellectual audiences, and is. indeed, one of The oraches o^ 

(49) 



50 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHmcTON. 

York. In 1864, President Lincoln appointed as Librarian Ainswortli 
R. Spofford, who built up the institution until his retirement in 1896. 
The present Librarian is Herbert Putnam, previously of the Boston 
Public Library. 

This collection is very rich in history, political science, jurispru- 
dence, and books, pamphlets, and periodicals of American publication, 
or relating in any way to America. At the same time the library is 
a universal one in its range, no department of literature or science 
being unrepresented. The public are privileged to use the books 
within the library rooms, while members of Congress and about 
thirty officials of the Government only may take them away. The 
library is open every day (Sundays excepted), from 9 o'clock in the 
morning until 10 o'clock at night. 

As long ago as 1872 efforts w^ere made to provide the Library with 
a separate building ; but its friends have only now seen their laud- 
able purpose accomplished. The fact that the Librarian has charge 
(since 1870) of the copyright business of the Government, and that 
this library is given and compelled to receive two copies of every 
book, picture, or other article copyrighted, makes its growth as rapid 
and steady as the progress of the American press, and enforces the 
need for ample space. Innumerable difficulties and chimerical 
schemes were overcome before Congress at last purchased — by con- 
demnation, for it was covered with dwelling-houses — the present site 
(ten acres, east of the Capitol grounds) for a new Library of Con- 
gress, paying $585,000 for the property. Work was begun in 1886, 
but not much was accomplished until 1888-9, when the work was 
placed in the hands of Gen. T. L. Casey, Chief of Engineers, U. S. 
A., under whose charge, and the superintendence of Bernard R. 
Green, C. E., the magnificent edifice was perfected in 1897. The 
architectural plans were originally by J. J. Smithmeyer and Paul J. 
Pelz, modified later by E, P. Casey, who completed the building and 
its decoration. As to the interior, Mr. Casey was assisted by Elmer 
E. Garnsey, in charge of the color decorations, and by Albert Weinert 
as to the stucco work. 

The style is Italian renaissance modified; and the result is one 
of the noblest edifices externally, and the most artistically beautiful 
one inside, of all the grand buildings at the Capital. Its ground plan 
is an oblong square, inclosing four courts and a rotunda. Its outside 
dimensions are 470 by 340 feet, and it covers three and three-quarters 
acres of ground. The material is Concord (N. H.) granite, exteriorly, 
and enameled brick within the courts, while the framework is of 
steel, and the walls interiorly are encased and decorated wholly by 
stucco and marble. The octagonal rotunda, lighted by the four 



The library of congress. 5i 

Courts, is built of gray Maryland granite, and crowned by a roof- 
dome of copper, the dome heavily gilded, and terminating, 195 feet 
above the ground, in a gilded torch of Science. The general effect 
of such a building is of massiveness disproportionate to height, but 
this is relieved by " pavilions " at the corners, by elaborate entrances, 
numerous windows, and the high ornamentation of the exterior 
cornices, window-casings, etc., especially on the western front. 

There were required 409,000 cubic feet of granite, 550,000 enam- 
eled brick, 24,000,000 red brick, 3,800 tons of iron and steel, and 
73,000 barrels of cement. The land covered is three and three-quar- 
ters acres, and the floor space amounts to eight acres. There are 
three floors, comprising a basement, level with the ground, the main 
or library floor, and a second story above. The 2,000 windows render 
this the best lighted library in the world. The pumps, coal vaults, 
and steam boilers are in a separate building in the rear and under 
ground, thus avoiding many nuisances of noise, dust, heat, etc. It is 
worthy of note — since the fact is almost unique in the history of 
Government architecture at the Capital — that the structure was com- 
pleted within the time specified (six years), and within the limit of 
cost allowed ($6,250,000). More than fifty American artists have 
been especially employed in the decorations. 

The Approaches and Entrance to the Library are on the western 
front, facing the Capitol, where a grand staircase leads up to door- 
ways of the central pavilion on the main floor, and furnishes an 
opportunity for an elaborate fountain, designed by R. H. Perry, 
wherein a colossal bronze Neptune sits in a mimic grotto of the sea, 
surrounded by Tritons and other figures, while the water jets from 
the mouths of various denizens of the deep. A survey of this facade 
should be made before ascending the steps, to gain a general idea of 
the architecture, not only, but especially to note the ethnological, 
heads carved upon the keystones of the thirty- three arched windows, 
since these are a novel innovation upon the gorgons, etc., usually 
employed in such places. These heads are studied and accurate 
types of the principal races of mankind, modeled b}^ H. J. Ellicott 
and Wm. Boyd, under the criticism of Prof. O. T. Mason of the 
National Museum; they are as important as they are novel, and are 
grouped according to kinship. 

The Central Pavilion consists of three entrance arches, surmounted 
by a portico, and against its circular upper windows are placed nine 
portico busts of great literati, as follows, beginning on the left : 
Demosthenes, Scott, Dante (by Herbert Adams), Goethe, Franklin. 
Macaulay (by F. W. Ruckstuhl), Emerson, Irving, Hawthorne (by 
J. Scott Hartley). Passing up the flights of broad granite steps, 
lighted by Mr. Pratt's bronze balustrade lamps and covering a 



52 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHlNGl'ON. 

spacious porte-cochere, we pause to note the fine carvings over the 
three entrance arches, by Bela L. Pratt, representing Literature, 
Science, and Art,* each with appropriate symbols. 

The brojize doors within these arches admit us to the main hall. 
These doors are worthy of study. That to the left (by the late Olin 
L. Warner) means Tradition — the earliest method of handing down 
knowledge ; the central one (by F. Macmonnies) illustrates the Art 
of Printing ; that to the right (by Warner), Writing. Each is double, 
and the chief allegory is placed within the tympanum above it. 
These doors admit the visitor to a corridor extending along the west 
front of the pavilion, called 

The Vestibule. This extends between piers of Italian marble 
supporting arches, against which, on heavy brackets, are repeated 
pairs of figures, almost detached from the wall — Minerva in War, 
and Minerva in Peace, the former bearing a sword and torch. The 
electric standard between them is a Greek altar. These were 
modeled by Adams, and, like all other ornaments of the wall and 
ceiling here, are of stucco, touched with gold. Passing on through 
the arches, the visitor enters the 

Staircase Hall — a vast square well occupying the center of the 
rectangular pavilion, and containing the magnificent stairways that 
lead to the second floor and to the Rotunda galleries. Its floor is a 
lovely mosaic of colored marbles, surrounding a brass-rayed disk 
showing the points of the compass; and this floor, as elsewhere, is 
made to harmonize in design and tint with the remainder of the dec- 
oration. The further (eastern) wall is broken by a noble Ionic door- 
way, forming a sort of triumphal arch, whose entablature is inscribed 
with the names of the builders ; it admits, by a passage described 
elsewhere, to the Reading Room, and the carved figures (byAVarner) 
on its arch personify Study. Overhead, the hall is open to the roof, 
seventy-two feet above, where a skylight pours a flood of sunshine 
down upon the shimmering surfaces, giving an ethereal lightness 
and beauty to the really massive architecture that is peculiarly effec- 
tive and charming. Everything is white Italian marble, and lavishly 
adorned with sculpture, all the work of Philip Martiny. On either 
side rise the grand staircases, circling about elaborate newel-posts, 
supporting bronze light-bearers (also modeled by Martiny), and 
sloping upward beside piers whose arches are exquisitely adorned 
with rose-wreaths and leafy branches. Each of the solid balustrades 

♦The enumeration here, as elsewhere, is always in order from left to right. 



THE LIBRARY OF CONGRES'S. 53 

bears a procession of nude figures of infants, or elves, connected by- 
garlands, and each representing by its symbols some art, industry, 
or idea. On the right (south) from the bottom up, go a Mechanician, 
a Hunter, Bacchus, a Farmer, a Fisherman, Mars, a Chemist, and a 
Cook; on the left, a Gardener, a Naturalist, a Student, a Printer, a 
Musician, a Physician, an Electrician, and an Astronomer. Outside 
of these, perched upon pilasters, are four small figures prettily 
representing America and Africa on the left, Europe and Asia 
opposite. Figures of children are also set in relief upon the 
balustrade of the top landing on each side, those above the south 
staircase signifying Comedy, Poetry, and Tragedy; and those 
opposite, Painting, Architecture, and Sculpture. All of these little 
figures are accompanied by symbolic accessories, so that here, as 
usually elsewhere in this highly thoughtful scheme of decoration, 
close study is required to gain the full extent of the artist's 
meaning, rewarded by a perception of artistic harmony. 

First Floor Corridors and Rooms. — Surrounding the staircase 
hall runs a rectangle of corridors, called West, South, East, and 
North, forming vaulted and richly adorned passage-ways around the 
interior of the first floor of the pavilion, and admiting to various 
rooms. They are paneled in white marble to the height of eleven 
feet ; their floors are laid in harmonious patterns of Italian white, 
Vermont blue, and Tennessee red-brown marbles, and their vaulted 
ceilings are covered with marble mosaics from cartoons by H. T. 
Schladermundt, after designs by E. P. Casey. Tablets bearing the 
names of literati, and various trophies, are also pleasingly introduced; 
and at intervals upon the walls semi-circular spaces or tympanums are 
utilized for some of the most brilliant and interesting paintings in 
the building. It would be well to make the circuit of these corri- 
dors before going elsewhere. 

The West Corridor is the Entrance Vestibule, already described. 

The South Corridor lies at the right of the south staircase, and is 
beautified by paintings (in oil on canvas, glued to the wall by a com- 
position of white lead — as is the case with most of the other mural 
paintings here) by H. O. Walker, illustrating Lyric Poetry. 

The principal one is upon the large tympanum at the east end, 
and represents Lyric Poetry standing in a wood striking a lyre, and 
surrounded by Pathos, Truth (nude of course), Devotion, Beauty, 
and playful Mirth. In the smaller spaces Mr. Walker has painted 
"flushed Ganymede, half buried in the eagle's down," the Endymion 



64 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

of Keats' poem, lying on Mt. Patmos, under the glance of his lover 
Diana (the moon) ; The Boy, of Wordsworth's well-known poem ; 
Emerson, as typified in his poem "Uriel"; Milton as suggested by 
"Comus"; the "Adonis" of Shakespeare; and a broad border of 
figures portraying Wordsworth's lines: 

The poets, who on earth have made us heirs 
Of truth and pure delight by heavenly lays! 

The names tableted on this border are of the great lyric poets. 

At its east end this corridor turns at right angles to -the south 
and extends along the interior of the building, looking out upon a 
court to the reading rooms reserved for Senators and Representa- 
tives. This "corridor of the special reading rooms" was given to 
Walter McEwen to decorate, and he chose subjects from Greek 
mythology. 

Each painting gives an incident characterizing a myth. Paris, 
who won Helen by giving the prize of beauty to Venus, sitting at 
her home and conversing with her father Menelaus ; Jason recruiting 
his Argonauts for the voyage to recover the golden fleece ; Bellero- 
phon accepting from Minerva the bridle for his winged horse Pegasus ; 
Orpheus witnessing a Bacchic orgy ; Perseus, the hero of the story of 
the Gorgon Medusa; Prometheus warning his brother against the mis- 
chievous Pandora; Theseus starting on his perilous adventure 
against the Minotaur ; Achilles discovered by Ulysses at the court of 
the King of Scyros ; and the great Hercules in the guise of a woman 
spinning for Omphale, Queen of Lydia. 

The House Reading Room, opening from this corridor, is exclu- 
sively for the use of members of the House of Representatives. 

"No apartment in the Library," remarks Mr. Herbert Small 
(whose elaborate "Hand-book"* of the Librar}^ should be possessed 
by every visitor who wishes full details and competent criticism of 
the treasures of art in this palace of learning), " is more lavishly and 
sumptuously ornamented. The floor is dark quartered oak ; the walls 
have a dado of heavy oak paneling about eleven feet high ; and the 
deep window arches are finished entirely in the same material. Above 
the dado the walls are hung with olive green silk. The ceiling is 
beamed and paneled, and is finished in gold and colors, with painted 
decorations in the panels, and encrusted conventional ornament in 
cream white along the beams. Over the- three doors are carved oak 
tympanums, by Mr. Charles H. Niehaus, comprising two designs — 
the first of a central cartouche bearing an owl, and supported on either 
side by the figure of a seated youth ; the other, the American Eagle 
flanked by two cherubs. At either end of the room is a magnificent 
mantel of Sienna marble. Over the fireplace is a large mosaic panel 

*Hand-book of the New Library of Congress, compiled by Herbert Small, 
with Essays on the "Architecture, Sculpture, and Painting by Charles Caflfin, and 
on the Function of a National Library, by Ainsworth R. Spoflford, Boston: Cur- 
tis & Cameron, 1897. Price, 25 cents. 




PUBLIC READING ROOM, LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



THE LIBRAE Y OF CONGRESS. 55 

by Mr. Frederick Dielman, representing at one end of the room, 
Law, and at the other, Hisfo?y. Above is a heavy cornice supported 
on beautiful columns of Pavanazzo marble, the general color of which 
is gray instead of yellow, but with a system of veining which agrees 
very well with that of the Sienna. In the center of the cornice is a 
small cartouche of green onyx in the mantel to the south, and of labra- 
dorite or labradorspar in the other, the latter stone being remarkable 
for its exquisite gradations of deep peacock blue, continually chang- 
ing with the light and the point from which it is seen." 

The mosaics above the fireplaces, from cartoons by Dielman, 
were made in Venice, and are superior examples of this exquisite 
and peculiar art whose home is in Northern Italy. They should be 
contemplated thoughtfully. The ceiling paintings, by Carl Gutherz, 
filling seven panels, should also be closely studied, beginning with the 
central one. The series idealizes the Spectrum of Sunlight. In the 
center is the first, yellow — the Creation of Light; second, next north, 
is orange — the Light of Intelligence; third, red — the Light of Poetry; 
fourth, violet — Light of State, the United States being regarded as 
embodying the highest expression of government, and suitably repre- 
sented by the violet color, which is formed by a combination of red, 
white, and blue; next in order (south of the center), follow green — 
Research; blue — Truth; and indigo — Science. The cherubs in the 
corner of each panel typify attributes of each subject. 

The Senate Reading Room, at the end of the corridor, fills the 
corner-room of the building, or Southwest Pavilion, and is another 
lavishly decorated and furnished apartment, as sumptuous as, but 
somewhat less gaudy than, the reading-room of the House. It is 
reserved for Senators. The walls are of oak, inlaid with arabesques, 
above which are hangings of red figured silk, while the ornamented 
ceiling is gold, relieved by deep red. A carved panel over the door 
(by Adams), and a series of figures (by W. A. Mackay), bearing gar- 
lands, gracefully enliven the golden ceiling. 

The East Corridor, in the rear of the grand staircase, has been 
decorated by John W. Alexander, who has taken the Evolution of 
the Book as his theme, and treated it with great force. At the south 
end are three pictures, the Cairn, Oral Tradition, and Hieroglyphics, 
to illustrate the earliest methods of transmitting knowledge; and at 
the northern end the later methods — Picture Writing, Manuscript 
Books, and the Printing Press. These are among the most popularly 
interesting pictures in the Library, and are accompanied by names 
and trophies of the masters of the arts and sciences. 

The Librarian' s Room, entered from this corridor, is a cosy, 
luxuriously furnished apartment, forming the private office of the 
Librarian of Congress; it is finished in oak and exquisitely decorated, 
the prevailing t<>ne of color being a delicate green, by Mr. Holslag 



56 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

and Mr. Weinert. At the south end are ladies' toilet and cloak 
rooms. Passages lead from this corridor to the Staircase Hall, Rotunda 
Reading Room, and Basement. 

The North Corridor is opposite the south one , or at the left of the 
staircases as one enters the front door, and contains a series of seven 
wall-paintings by Charles S. Pearce, representing the occupations of 
the civilized mind. 

The most important fills the great panel at the east end, and 
depicts an idealization of the Family. On the south wall is one 
picture only — Rest; while opposite, reading from left to right, are 
four, entitled: Religion, Labor, Study, Recreation. An exquisite 
border at the end presents artistically an apothegm of Confucius: 
" Give instruction unto those who can not procure it for themselves." 
The whole idea is of a quiet, rational, uplifted manner of life, and the 
names accompanying these scenes are those of the great educators of 
the world. 

At right angles to the left from the east end of this corridor 
another corridor extends to the Southeast Pavilion, in which Edward 
Simmons has depicted, seated in successive panels, the Nine Muses 
of Greek mythology, in the following succession : Melpomene 
(tragedy); Clio (history); Thalia (comedy and bucolic poetry); Euterpe 
(lyric song); Terpsichore (dancing); Erato (love poetry); Polyhymnia 
(sacred song); Urania (astronomy); Calliope (epic poetry). Each has 
symbols and accessories indicating her province in art. 

Various handsome rooms open from this corridor devoted to the 
work of the Library and of the Copyrighting Department and to the 
placing of special collections, such as that of Dr. Toner, or to private 
libraries yet to come. In one of them, the corner one, R. L. Dodge 
has a series of charmingly painted Pompeian dancing girls. 

The visitor may continue on around and make the complete circuit 
of the building through handsome halls now, or to be in the future, 
occupied for library work; but nothing more calls for special descrip- 
tion on this floor except the Rotunda. 

The Rotunda. The whole interior of the octagonal central build- 
ing consists of one room covered by a splendid dome. This hall is 
loo feet in diameter and 125 high. It is entered from the main hall, 
through the triumphal arch between the staircases (see above), and 
along a broad passage-way. The first part of this passage has in 
its vaulting six small domes, and is abundantly ornamented with 
medalions representing the Fine Arts. A marble stairway leads up 
to the galleries of the Rotunda; and here, also, are the elevators. 
Spaces in the wall remain, however, for paint itigs by W. B. Van 
higen, in which the artist has contrasted the ideals of Milton's great 



THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 57 

poems " II Penseroso " and " L'Allegro." The second part or lobby 
of this passage-way is the vestibule of the floor, or Reading Room, of 
the Rotunda, and is adorned in its five tympanums with a grand 
series of allegorical paintings by Elihu Vedder, embodying the 
idea of government in a manner that has aroused the highest admi- 
ration of all artists, and conveys food for deep thought. 

The central painting over the Reading Room door is a conception 
of republican government in its noblest estate. That upon its right 
exhibits how Good Administration (the first) leads to Peace and 
Prosperity (the second); contrasted with and opposite these are two 
vivid paintings portraying Corrupt Legislation, resulting m Anarchy. 
Careful study of these pictures will bring out an instructive compre- 
hension of how wide and subtle was the artist's thought m regard to 
each. 

Frojn the floor of the Rotunda one gets an idea of the grandeur 
of this octagonal hall, which is gorgeous in detail, but where the whole 
effect is of sumptuous furnishing, guided by a cultivated and liberal 
taste worthy of such a temple of education and repository of garnered 
thought as this edifice is designed to be. The dome is carried upon 
eight massive piers, connected by noble arches, each arch filled above 
the capitals of its supporting pillars with semi-circular windows of clear 
glass thirty-two feet wide. The broad intrados of each arch is filled 
with sunken panels of color and gilded rosettes, in conformity with 
the general design of ceiling treatment. A heavy entablature of 
classic ornament (designed by Mr. Casey), in high reUef, with all the 
prominences gilded, runs all around the rotunda, into every alcove, 
and out around all the eight piers. Each of the eight bays beneath 
this entablature is filled with a two-storied loggia of yellow variegated 
Sienna marble, the lower story consisting of three arches divided by 
square engaged pillars with Corinthian capitals, the second story of 
seven lesser arches supported by small pillars of Ionic style, extremely 
graceful; and above all is carried an open gallery protected by a 
balustrade. These loggias and the upper galleries, nearly forty feet 
from the floor, run all around the rotunda; and it is from these, 
reached from the grand staircase and overlooking the whole room, 
that the sight-seeing public gaze upon the apartment and its busy 
workers, who are not permitted to be disturbed by the intrusion of 
casual visitors. These loggias form the eight sides of the hall, the 
t nvo entrances to which are further distinguished by facades of Sienna 
marble, which are perfect examples of the Corinthian style. Between 
each two adjacent loggias, filling the corners of the octagon and 



58 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

forming the inner face of the eight great projecting piers that support 
the arches and sustain the dome, are splendid columns and faces of 
two shades of dark Numidian marble, crowned by golden Corinthian 
capitals and standing upon pedestals of the chocolate-tinted marble 
of East Tennessee. 

On the summit of each of these columns stands a colossal ejuble- 
niatic statue, the eight representing the principal departments of 
human thought and development; they are of plaster, toned an 
ivory-white, ten and one-half feet in height and sixty feet from the 
floor, and beginning at the right of the entrance, are as follows: 
Religion, by Th. Bauer; Commerce, by J. Flanagan; History, by 
D. C. French; Art, by Dozzi, of France, after sketches by Aug. St. 
Gaudens; Philosophy, by B. L. Pratt; Poetry, by Ward; Law, by P. W. 
Bartlett; and Science, by J. Donoghue. Each is distinguished by 
some symbol, and above each, on a tablet supported by child-figures 
modeled by Martiny, are inscriptions, chosen by President Eliot of 
Harvard University, each appropriate to its theme, thus: 

Above the figure of Religion, 

What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to 
love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God..— Micah 
vi, 8. 
Above the figure of Coininerce, 

We taste the spices of Arabia, yet never feel the scorching 
sun which brings them iorVa..— Anonyvious . 
Above the figure of History, 

One God, one law, one element, 
And one far-off divine event. 
To which the whole creation moves. - Tennysott. 
Above the figure of Art, 

As one lamp lights another, nor grows less, 
So nobleness enkindleth nobleness.— Loivell. 
Above the figure of Philosophy, 

The enquiry, knowledge, and belief of truth is the sovereign 
good of human nature.— i9i?f£'«. 
Above the figure of Poetry, 

Hither, as to their fountain, other stars 
Repairing, in their golden urns draw light.— Mi'/^on. 
Above the figure of Law, 

Of law there can be no less acknowledged than that her voice 
is the harmony of the world.— Hooker. 
Above the figure of Science, 

The heavens declare the glory of God ; and the firmament 
showeth His handiwork.— /*i-d://« J xix, i. 



THE LIBRAE V OF CONGRESS. 59 

Sixteen Portrait Statues, personally illustrating the great lines of 
creative thought above enumerated, stand along the balustrade of the 
gallery ; they are of bronze, and in pairs, one" on each side of and 
overlooking that one of the eight colossal ideal statues above de- 
scribed, of which its original was a type. The list is as follows : 

Typical of Religion : Moses, an ideal figure, by Niehaus (see p. 
32); and St. Paul, an ideal figure by Donoghue. Commerce: Colum- 
bus, by Paul W. Bartlett; and Robert Fulton, by Ed C. Potter. His- 
tory: Herodotus, modeled after Greek sculptures, by D. C. French ; 
and Gibbon, by Niehaus. Art: Michael Angelo, by P. W. Bartlett; 
and Beethoven, by Baur. Philosophy : Plato, from Greek busts, by 
J. J. Boyle; and Bacon, also by Boyle. Poetry : Homer, after an 
ideal bust of ancient times, by Louis St. Gaudens ; and Shakespeare, 
by Macmonnies, modeled after the Stratford bust and the portrait in 
the first edition of the Plays. Law : Solon, from Greek data, by 
Ruckstuhl ; and Chancellor Kent, by George Bissell. Science : New- 
ton, by C. E. Dallin ; and Joseph Henry, by H. Adams. Except the 
idealizations mentioned above, all are from authentic portraits, includ- 
ing details of costume, etc. 

The great Clock of the Rotunda, over the door, was modeled by 
J. Flanagan, "The clock itself is constructed of various brilliantly 
colored precious marbles, and is set against a background of mosaic, 
on which are displayed, encircling the clock, the signs of the zodiac in 
bronze, . . The hands, which are also gilded, are jeweled with 
semi-precious stones." 

The spandrels or triangular wall spaces between the arches are 
adorned by emblematic figures in relief and brought out by color, 
and the whole is capped by an encircling entablature of classic 
beauty, whence springs the superb canopy of the arch, filled with rich 
ornamentation to its crown, beneath which, in the collar of the dome, 
is an exceedingly interesting and beautiful series of figures in fresco, 
by E. H. Blashfeld, symbolizing the relations of the nations to 
human progress. 

" Thus," remarks Mr. R. Cortissoz, "Egypt is the representative 
of written records, Judea typifies religion, Greece is the standard- 
bearer of philosophy, Rome bears the same relation toward adminis- 
tration, Islam stands for physics, the Middle Ages are figured as the 
fountain-head of modern languages, Italy is represented as the source 
of the fine arts, Germany as sponsor for the art of printing, Spain as 
the first great power in discovery, England as a mighty bulwark of 
literature, the France of the eighteenth century as emblematic of 
emancipation, and America as the nation of scientific genius. Each 
figure holds the insignia of its place." 

Nothing in the United States, and little in the world, surpasses the 



60 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

artistic splendor of this grand rotunda — all mellow marble, sparkle 
of gold, and play of significant color ! 

The practical wo7'k of the library concentrates in the rotunda, 
where (in the center) stands the circular desk of the superintendent 
and his assistants, who can speedily communicate with all parts of 
the building by a system of telephones, and by pneumatic tubes, 
which carry messages and orders for books to any required room or 
book-stack. The floor is filled with small desks, arranged in concen- 
tric circles and separated by light screens or curtains, and the intru- 
sion of mere sight-seers is forbidden. Unlimited light and air are 
assured, and quiet is enforced ; while celerity in obtaining and dis- 
tributing books is secured by various devices that librarians else- 
where will admire and copy. As there is a constant call for books of 
reference from the Capitol, where the legislators often want a volume 
for instant use, an undergroujid tunnel, four feet wide and six feet 
high, has been made between the two buildings, containing an end- 
less cable carrier, upon which books may be sent back and forth at 
great speed. An assistant, cyclopedias, etc., are stationed at the 
Capitol terminus. 

Second Floor Halls. — Some of the finest parts of the Library are 
in the second story. Ascending the staircases you find yourself in a 
broad arcade surrounding the hall. This is all in white marble of the 
same Corinthian style. Lofty coupled columns, with elaborate acan; 
thus capitals, support joint entablatures, whence spring the groined 
arches of the ceiling. North and south doorways admit to magnificent 
library halls (see below); the west windows open upon a balcony over- 
looking the Capitol grounds and a large part of the city, and on the east 
a beautiful stairway leads to the uppermost galleries of the rotunda. 

A long time may be spent in admiring study of this superb hall, 
whose details are elaborate in every particular, varying constantly in 
small points of ornamentation, yet ever consonant with the classic 
model, and keeping an artistic uniformity without monotony. The 
ornamentation of the ceilings, composed of stucco in high relief set 
off with gold on the eminences and bright color in the recesses, is also 
admirable, and becomes very striking when applied to the vaulted 
canopies of the great side halls. The decoration '.n relief here is 
all the work of Mr. Martiny and consists mainly c/" little figures 
(geniuses), exemplifying various conceptions and pmV'(''<"S indicated 
by conventional symbols, such as the shepherd's croolv Ui.d pipes for 
Pastoral life or Arcady, a block of paper and a compasfefor Architec- 
ture, and so on; also many cartouches and tablets bearing the names 
of illustrious authors. 

Here, as below, the spaces surrounding the well of the staircases 
are spoken of as Corridors, of which there are four — North, South, 
East, and West — each decorated with brush or chisel by some 
special artist under a harmonious plan. 



THE LIBRAE V OF CONGRESS. 61 

The East Corridor, crossing the head of the staircases, has 
pendentive figures by Geo. R. Barse, Jr. , illustrating the topic Litera- 
ture, and comprising Lyrica (Lyric poetry), Tragedy, Comedy, and 
History, on the East wall ; and Love, Erotica (poetry), Tradition, 
Fancy, and Romance, on the West wall. The center of the vault 
also exhibits three medallion paintings by Wm. A. Mackay, giving 
the three stages of the Life of Man as represented by the Fates — 
Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos. The allegory becomes plainer when 
one reads the accompanying inscriptions. The names of eminent 
printers and inventors of printing presses are recorded on tablets at 
each end of this corridor. 

In the North Corridor are the works of Robert Reid. One of 
this series of brilliant paintings consists of large octagons contain- 
ing female figures which one might style pretty girls — so modern is 
their type — each representing one of the Five Senses, as Touch, 
Taste, Smell, Sight, or Hearing; their quaintly graceful attitudes 
telling each character without long query. Alternating with these 
are square panels in which Mr. Reid has depicted, in a very subdued 
manner, ancient athletic sports familiar to all readers of classical 
history. Four circular panels upon the wall contain figures standing 
for Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, and Philosophy. These 
project from an abundance of more formal color-decorations, with 
which are intermingled medallions containing trophies of various 
trades and sciences, and tablets inscribed with lines from Edna Dean 
Proctor's poem "Unexpressed." 

The West Corridor is immediately over the Entrance Vestibule, 
and has been decorated in a very interesting manner by Walter 
Shirlaw, who has found his motive in The Sciences. Says Mr. 
Smpll: 

" Each science is represented by a female figure about ']% feet in 
height. The fgures are especially interesting, aside from their 
artistic merit, f(/r t^ e variety of symbolism by which every science is 
distinguished iv^ the others, and for the subtlety with which 
much of this S) _ )lism is expressed. Not only is each accompanied 
by various approp.iate objects, but the lines of the drapery, the ex- 
pression of the face and body, and the color itself, are, wherever 
practicable, made to subserve the idea of the science represented. 
Thus the predominant colors used in the figure of Chemistry — pur- 
ple, blue, and red — are the ones which occur most often in chemical 
experimenting ... In the matter of line, again, the visitor will 
notice a very marked difference between the abrupt, broken line used 
in the drapery of Archaeology, and the moving, flowing line in that of 
Physics." 



62 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

Bearing in mind such qualities as these, the attentive visitor 
will derive great pleasure from studying the figures of Zoology, 
Physics, Mathematics, and Geology, on the West; and of Archaeol- 
ogy, Botany, Astronomy, and Chemistry, on the East. The com- 
memorative tablets at the ends of the corridor bear the names of the 
fathers of the natural sciences. The three medallions along the cen- 
ter of the ceiling are by Van Ingen, and typify Sculpture, Architec- 
ture, and Painting. 

R. Hiiiton Perry's Bas-reliefs at this (the west) end of the 
North and South corridors may be mentioned here. The two on the 
North are Greek Inspiration (the oracle of Apollo at Delphi), and 
Persian Inspiration (a veiled or occult Sibyl). The two at the South 
match this idea by portraying a Cumsean, or Roman, Sibyl, and one 
of the " wnse women " of Scandinavian and Teutonic Tradition. 

The South Corridor remains to be mentioned. The principal 
artist here is F. W. Benson, who has filled three hexagonal panels 
in the ceiling with the Graces — Aglaia, patroness of Husbandry 
(east), Thalia, of Music (center), and Euphrosyne, of Beauty (west). 
Each is an exquisite rendering of sweet womanhood. Four circular 
panels have given Mr. Benson an opportunity to make four other 
lovely women stand for The Seasons; and in the larger spaces at 
the end of the vault the painter has supplemented Mr. Reid's ancient 
sports (in the North Corridor) with two representations of modern 
games. Base Ball and Foot Ball. 

Certain minor features of these splendidly adorned arcades must 
be mentioned. One is the series of eight exquisite paintings by 
G. W. Maynard, two in each corner of the hall, depicting The Virtues. 
Another is the Printer's Marks, which are tastefully and ingeniously 
made a part of the general scheme of color ornament, and number 
fifty-six in all, from Koepfel, in 1523, to those of existing pub- 
lishers of New York and London. Lastly, a rich fund of epigram- 
matic wisdom is preserved by inscriptions in praise of knowledge, 
selected from the literature of the world. 

Galleries and Pavilions of the Second Story. — From the arcades 
that surround the head of the grand staircase, corridors open north 
and south and lead around the whole building, communicating with 
the various rooms and pavilions of this upper story. The remainder 
of the western front of the building is devoted to two large halls, 
known respectively as the Northwest and Southwest galleries. They 
are alike in size and architecture ; the ceiling being a coffered barrel 



THE LIBRAE Y OF CONGRESS. 63 

vault and the floor of marble in variegated squares. The semi-circu- 
lar wall-spaces beneath the vault at each end (tympanums) are 34 
feet long by 9>^ feet high, and afford space for four paintings, which 
are among the most imposing of all in the library. 

hi the Northwest Gallery, where the prevailing tone of color is 
red, the broad spaces are filled with two pictures by Gari Melchers— 
War and Peace — which will hold the attention for a long time of one 
who studies them; and the names inscribed over the doors and 
windows are those of the world's great soldiers. Opening beyond 
this Gallery (or from the inner corridor), is an octagonal room in the 
northwest corner of the building, known as The Northwest 
Pavilion. The ceiling is richly coffered, colored, and gilded around 
a central dome occupied by a painting. The walls are broken by 
pillars, and are ornamented with stucco-work, including a series of 
four carvings, one in each of the pendentives, which delicately rep- 
resent the Seasons, and are from models by B. L. Pratt. These are 
repeated in the three other corner pavilions, as are the general feat- 
ures of decoration, while the frescoes are individualized. The special 
artist whose work is seen in this pavilion is W. de Leftwich Dodge, 
who has made Ambition the subject of his painting in the dome, and 
has filled the four tympanums of the walls with allegorical scenes, 
depicting Music (north). Science (east). Art (south), and Literature 
(west). These rooms contain Americana in show-cases. 

The Southwest Gallery, south of -the main hall, has blue for its 
prevailing color, and is decorated by two very striking paintings by 
Kenyon Cox — The Arts at the south end of the room and The 
Sciences at the north end. In the former classic group the central 
figure is Poetry, attended by the other Arts; while in the second, 
Astronomy holds the place of honor among the Sciences. The 
show-cases are filled with portrait-prints and photographs of ex- 
presidents, etc. Beyond this gallery lies 

The Southwest Pavilion, octagonal as elsewhere, and richly orna- 
mented by brush and chisel. The disk of the dome is beautified by 
a circle of four paintings, representing National Virtues — Courage, 
Valor, Fortitude, and Achievement; while in the tympanums are 
four other subjects — Adventure (east). Discovery (south), Conquest 
(west), and Civilization (north). The artist is George W. Maynard, 
and these broad canvases have afforded him an opportunity to do 
a work of high quality. Processes of art-reproduction and book- 
illustration are exhibited. A door at the left leads into the great 



64 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

South Hall, which has as yet no special decorations, but is hand- 
some in stucco and broad masses of harmonious coloring. This room 
is devoted to the display of the library's treasures of art, lithographs, 
engravings, etchings, photographs, and prints of all kinds, and it is 
called the Print Room. Through it one passes to the 

Southeast Pavilioji, decorated by R. L. Dodge. In each of the 
four tympanums he has painted a representation of one of the 
four Elements— to the east, Earth; to the north, Air; to the west. 
Fire; to the south, Water. Each consists of three figures, and the 
allegory and symbolism in each case are readily interpreted by the 
beholder. In the dome Mr. Dodge, in conjunction with Mr. Garnsey, 
has expressed the same idea in another way, figured by Apollo and 
the Sun for a center piece, surrounded by medallions and cartouches 
for the elements. The series of handsome but not especially notable 
apartments along the eastern front of the building are at present 
reserved for the use of special students and in part for library work. 
The only notable decorations are those in 

Northeast Pavilion, where gilding prevails upon the walls and 
ceiling, and sets off the illustrative paintings of W. B. Van Ingen 
personifying the Executive Departments. The Treasury and State 
Departments are typified in the west tympanum; the War and Navy 
in the south; Agriculture and Interior in the east; and Justice and 
the Post Office in the north. All of the details are symbolic and 
easily understood, except the cypress trees, which are merely deco- 
rative, and stand in jars copied from those made by the Zuiii Indians. 
The seals of the Departments are cleverly introduced, and in the dome 
the great seal of the United States forms the center of an elaborate 
and beautiful circular painting by Garnsey, framed in an inscription 
from Lincoln's Gettysburg address. A door opens into the large 

North Gallery, which is devoted to the exhibition of the most 
interesting maps, charts, globes, etc., selected from the library's vast 
store of cartographical materials, and is called the Map Room. Its 
inspection completes the circuit of the second story. 

The Stack-rooms, or apartments where the books themselves 
are kept, open out on each side of the rotunda into the lofty wings 
that divide the interior courts, whose enameled walls reflect a flood 
of light into their numerous windows. These repositories contain 
the most improved arrangement. Cases of iron, rising sixty-five feet 
to the roof, are filled with adjustable shelves of coated steel as 
smooth as glass. The floors of these rooms are marble, and the 



THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, 65 

decks, at intervals of every seven feet from top to bottom, by which 
the attendants reach the shelves, are simply slabs of white marble on 
steel bars. Cleanliness and ventilation are thus fully assured. Each 
of these stacks will hold 800,000 books; and the present capacity of all 
those erected is about 2,000,000 volumes, while additional space can 
be made for 2,500,000 more, or nearly 4,500,000 volumes in all— more 
than the probable accumulation of the next century and a half. The 
greatest existing library in the world, that of France, now contains 
about 2,500,000 volumes. The available space for all purposes here is 
largely in excess of that of the British Museum, and amounts to 
more than two-thirds that of the Capitol itself. To Capt. Bernard 
Green belongs the high credit for the invention and perfection of 
these mechanical arrangements for the care of the books. 

The Baseme7it is reached by stairways under the Grand Stair- 
cases, and its corridors are wainscoted in fine American marbles, 
while' its vaulted ceilings are brightly decorated in color-designs. It 
contains store-rooms, packing-rooms, a great bindery, and various 

offices. 

A RestauraJtt, open to the public, as well as serving the em- 
ployes of the Library, is to be found in the attic and is reached by 
one of the elevators. 

Consultation of the books is open to anyone in the Reading 
Room, though no books can be taken out. The applicant writes the 
title of the book he wants, and his own address on a blank ticket, 
which he hands in at the central desk, where he presently gets the 
book. Seats are arranged at circular desks, and no one is allowed to 
enter the stack-rooms where the books are kept. 



IV. 
ON CAPITOL HILL. 



The plateau east of the Capitol was considered by the founders of 
the city the most desirable region for residence, and truly it was in 
those days, as compared with the hills and swamps of the northwest- 
ern quarter or the lowlands along the river. The principal owner 
was Daniel Carroll, and when the alternate city lots were sold for the 
benefit of the public funds, higher prices were paid for them here 
than elsewhere. Carroll considered himself sure to be a millionaire, 
but died poor at last ; Robert Morris of Philadelphia, the financier 
of the Revolution, invested heavily here and lost accordingly; and 
the two lots which Washington himself bought cost him about $i,ooo. 

Daniel Carroll built for himself what was then considered a very 
fine mansion styled Diiddingion Manor; and that it really was a 
spacious, comfortable, and elegant house can be seen by any one who 
will walk down New Jersey Avenue, three blocks southeast of the 
Capitol, and then a block east on E Street, "which will bring him in 
sight of the old house upon its tree-shaded knoll, surrounded by a 
high wall, and desolate amid "modern improvements." Upon the 
personal history of the men who have dined beneath its roof, and 
the stories its walls might repeat, Mrs. Lockwood has expatiated 
pleasantly in her valuable book, "Historic Homes in Washington," 
to whom every one must be indebted who discourses upon the social 
^chronicles of the capital. 

A more famous building was the Old Capitol Prisofi, as it came to 
be called during the Civil War, whose walls still stand upon the block 
facing the Capitol grounds at the intersection of Maryland Avenue 
with First and A streets, N. E., enclosing the lead-colored block of 
handsome residences called Lanier Place. 

This was a spacious brick building hastily erected by the citizens 
of Washington after the destruction of the Capitol by the British in 
1 8 14, to accommodate Congress and hold the national capital here 

(66) 



ON CAPITOL HILL. 67 

ag-ainst the renewed assaults of those who wished to move the seat 
of Government elsewhere. While it was building, Congress held one 
session in Blodgett's "great hotel," which stood on the site of the 
present post office (p. 97). and then sat in this buildmg until the 
restored Capitol was ready for them, in 1827. It was a big, plain, 
warehouse-like structure, which was turned into a boardmg-house 
after Congress abandoned it, and there Senator John C. Calhoun 
died in 1850. When the Civil War broke out this building became a 
military prison for persons suspected or convicted of aiding and abet- 
ting the secession treason to which his influence had so powerfully 
contributed. Washington was full of Southern sympathizers and 
spies, and many are the traditions in the old famiHes of days and 
week's spent by overzealous members in " durance vile " within its 
walls, guarded by the " law-and-order brigade" of the Provost-Mar- 
shal's office, which formed the police of the capital m those days. 
Here Wirz, the brutal keeper of Andersonville prison, was executed, 
as well as several other victims of the War. Several years ago it was 
remodeled into handsome residences, one of which was the home of 
Mr. Justice Field until his death in 1899. 

The tall brick Malt by Buildmg, directly north of the Capitol, 
originally a hotel, is now occupied by congressional committees. 

The Coast ajid Geodetic Survey, a scientific branch of the Treas- 
ury Department to map the coast, chart the waters, and investigate 
and publish movements of tides, currents, etc., for the benefit of 
navigation, is domiciled in a brick building on New Jersey Avenue, 
south of the Capitol, immediately in the rear of the great stone 
house built long ago by Benjamin F. Butler as a residence, and which 
is now principally occupied by the Marine Hospital Service. New 
Jersey Avenue leads in that direction to Garfield Park, which is too 
new to be of interest, and beyond that to the shore of the Anacostia, 
near the Navy Yard. Just west of it Delaware Avenue forms a 
perfectly straight street to Washington Barracks. -^ 

Capitol Hill, as the plateau of the Capitol is popularly called, can 
yet show many fine, old-fashioned homes, though some formerly 
notable have lately disappeared. In their place, however, have 
grownup long blocks of substantial and ornate houses, making this 
one of the handsomest parts of the city, which forms a district, and, 
to a great extent, a society, local and distinct from the official and 
fashionable Northwest, upon which the old residents look down with 
ill-disguised superiority, a scorn which ancient Georgetown returns 
with aristocratic hauteur! ^^^_^_^ 

Capitol Hill has its own shady avenues, quiet cross streetSTand 
pretty parks. In Stanton Square (three and one-half acres), half a 
mile northeast out Maryland Avenue, is H. K, Brown's bronze 



68 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

statue of Maj. -Gen. Nathanael Greene, who distinguished himself at 
Eutaw Spring and elsewhere in the South during the Revolution, and 
to whom a statue was voted by the Continental Congress. This 
statue, which was cast in Philadelphia, erected here recently, and 
cost, with its pedestal of New England granite, $50,000, is one of the 
most life-like figures in Washington, the modeling of the horse being 
particularly admirable. The Peabody School confronts this neat 
square, which is reached by the Eckington line of street-cars. A 
farther walk of half a mile down Massachusetts Avenue takes one to 
Lincoln Square — a beautifully shaded tract of six and one-quarter 
acres, just a mile east of the Capitol. Here Tennessee and Kentucky 
avenues branch off northward and southward, the former leading to 
Graceland and Mount Olivet cemeteries, and the latter to the Con- 
gressional Cemetery, and to the bridge (over the Anacostia to Twin- 
ing) at the foot of Pennsylvania Avenue. 

hi Lincoln Square 'd^Q most beautiful thing is the lofty, symmet- 
rical sycamore tree in the center; but the most noted object is the 
Statue Monument to the Emancipation of the Slaves. This is a 
bronze group, erected by contributions from the colored freedmen of 
the United States, many of whom were set free by the proclamation, 
which is represented in the hand of the great benefactor of American 
slaves, one of whom is kneeling, unshackled, at his feet. One of the 
inscribed tablets upon the pedestal informs us that the first contribu- 
tion was the first free earnings of Charlotte Scott, a freed woman of 
Virginia, at whose suggestion, on the day of Lincoln's death, this 
monument fund was begun. This statue, twelve feet high, was cast 
in Munich at an expense of $17,000, and was unveiled on April 14, 
1876, the eleventh anniversary of Lincoln's assassination, Frederick 
Douglass making the oration. 

East Capitol Street is a wide avenue running straight, one mile, 
from this park to the Capitol, between rows of elms and poplars, and 
continuing onward to the Eastern Branch through scanty and low- 
lying suburbs. On the same river bank, at the eastern terminus of 
Massachusetts Avenue, occupying a reservation called Hospital 
Square, are the District Almshouse, Workhouse (or Asylum for the 
Indigent), and the stone jail, costing $40,000, in which several mur- 
derers, including Garfield's assailant, Guiteau, have been confined and 
executed. Some distance away, on the Bladensburg Road, can be 
seen the buildings of the Boys' Reform School. All these institutions 
are well worth inspection by those especially interested. 

Christ. Church (Protestant Episcopal) on G Street, S. E., between 
Sixth and Seventh, is the oldest church in the city. It was 



ON- CAPITOL HILL. 69 

erected in 1795, and was attended by Presidents Jefferson and 
Madison. Services are still held there. 

Christ Church Cemetery, more popularly known as the congres- 
sional burial ground, adjoins the grounds of the workhouse on the 
south, and occupies a spacious tract on -the bank of the Anacostia. 
It contains the graves and cenotaphs, formerly erected by Congress, 
of many persons once prominent in official life. 

This cemetery was the principal, if not the only, place of inter- 
ment at the beginning of civilization here; and many officials who 
died at the capital were buried there, and the practice continues, 
Congress contributing toward the support of the cemetery in con- 
sideration of this fact. Among the notable men buried here are: 
Vice-President George Clinton of New York; Signer and .Vice-Presi- 
dent Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts, whose name gave us the 
verb " to gerrymander"; William West, born in Bladensburg m 1772, 
a distinguished essayist and jurist, and finally Attorney-General under 
Monroe- Alexander Macomb, hero of Plattsburg, and General of the 
army preceding Scott, who has a fine military monument ; his prede- 
cessorf Gen. Jacob Brown, resting under a broken column; lobias 
Lear, Washington's private secretary; A. D. Bache, the organizer ot 
the coast survey, and several distinguished officers of the old army 
and navy. A public vault, erected by Congress, stands near the 
center of the grounds. The nearest street-cars are at Lincoln 
Square, about ten minutes' walk ; or at the Navy Yard fifteen to 
twenty minutes' walk along K Street, S. E., and Georgia Avenue. 

All this old-settled and no longer fashionable region, near the 
Anacostia, is spoken of rather contemptuously as "the navy yard, 
and it supplies a fair share of work for the police courts ; but it is 
greatly beloved of soldiers and sailors on leave. 

The Navy Yard is one of the places which visitors to Washington 
are usually most anxious to see, but it usually offers little to reward 
their curiosity outside of the gun shop. The navy yards at Brooklyn , 
Portsmouth, and Norfolk are all far more interesting. It stands on 
the banks of the broad tidal estuary of the Anacostia River, at the 
foot of Eighth Street, S. E., and is the terminus of the cable-cars 
from Georgetown along Pennsylvania Avenue. The Anacostia line 
of street-cars along M Street, S. E., also passes the gate. 

This navy yard was established (1804) as soon as the Government 
came here, and was an object of destruction by the British, who 
claim, however, that it was set on fire by the Americans; as this was 
the one part of the city which an enemy might be excused for destroy- 
ing such a plea might have been made with better grace for their 
other acts of uncalled-for destructiveness; an interesting incident of 
this time belongs to the story of Greenleaf's Point (p. 153)- It was 
restored, and "for more than half a century many of the largest and 



70 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

finest ships of war possessed by the United States were constructed 
in this yard." Two spacious ship houses remain, but the yard is 
now almost entirely given up to the manufacture of naval guns and 
ammunition and the storage of equipments. It often happens that 
not a ship of any sort is at the wharves (though a receiving ship is 
usually moored there), and the sentry at the gate is almost the only 
sign of military occupation about the place. 

The Gu7i Shop. — The first great building on the right, at the foot 
of the stone stairs, is the most interesting place in the yard. It is 
filled with the most powerful and approved machinery for turning, 
boring, rifling, jacketing, and otherwise finishing ready for work the 
immense rifles required for modern battle-ships, as well as the 
smaller rapid-fire guns forming the supplementary batteries of the 
cruisers and other vessels of war. Observing carefully the posted 
regulations; the visitor may walk where he pleases through these 
magnificent factories and watch the extremely interesting process, 
and should it happen that any vessels of war are in the harbor, per- 
mission to go on board of them can be obtained at all suitable hours. 

The office of the Commandant of the Yard is at the foot of the 
main walk near the wharf, and there application should be made for 
permission to go anywhere not open to the public. A large number 
of guns, showing types used in the past, are lying near the office, 
and a series of very interesting cannon captured from the Tripolitan, 
British, Mexican, or Confederate enemies whom the navy has had to 
fight, are mounted before the office. Among them is the famous 42- 
pounder, Long Tom, cast in 1786 in France, captured from the frigate 
Noche by the British in 1798, and then sold to us. Later it was struck 
by a shot, condemned, and sold to Haiti, then at war with France. 
This over, the cannon had various owners until 1814, when it formed 
the main reliance in the battery of the privateer General Annstrong, 
which, by pluckily fighting three British war-ships off Fayal, in the 
Azores, so crippled them that the squadron was unable to reach New 
Orleans, whither it was bound, in time to help the land forces there 
against the victorious Jackson. The brig was afterwards sunk to 
prevent her capture by the British, but the Portuguese authorities 
had so greatly admired the little ship's action, that they saved this 
gun as a trophy, and sent it as a present to the United States. 

A museum near the gate is worth visiting, as it contains many 
pieces of old-fashioned ordnance and ammunition, and many relics 
of historical or legendary interest, of which the most popular, per- 
haps, is the stern-post of the original Kearsarge, still containing a 
shell received during her fight with the Alabama. The door of the 
museum is shaded by a willow grown from a twig cut above the 
grave of Napoleon at St. Helena. The residences of officers on duty 
at the yard are near the gate, which was built from designs by 
Latrobe. 

The Marine Barracks, three squares above the Navy Yard, on 
Eighth Street, S. E., occupy a square surrounded by brick buildings 
painted yellow, according to the uniform custom of the old army, 



ON CAPITOL HILL. 71 

and are the home station and headquarters of the Marine Corps ; 
but, except that here is the residence of the famous Marine Band, 
they contain nothing of interest to the visitor, unless he likes to 
watch guardmounting every morning at 9.00, or the formal inspec- 
tion on Mondays at 10.00 a. m. The Marine Band is the only military 
band always stationed in Washington, and available for all military 
ceremonials. These advantages have given it great excellence; and 
its music at parades, President's receptions, inaugural balls, etc. , is 
highly appreciated. This band gives out-door concerts in summer. 

The Naval Hospital, for sick and wounded officers and men of 
the Navy and Marine Corps, is at Pennsylvania Avenue and Ninth 
Street, S. E.; and at Second and D streets, S. E., is Providence Hos- 
pital, founded in 1862, whose rear windows overlook the fine old 
Duddington Manor (p. 66). 

Anacostia is a name applied in an indefinite way to the region 
opposite the Navy Yard, and is reached by a bridge at the foot of 
Eleventh Street, crossed by the street-cars of the Anacostia & Poto- 
mac line. The village at the farther end of the bridge, now called 
Anacostia, was formerly Uniontown, and from it branch roads lead 
up on the Maryland Heights in various directions, where electric rail- 
roads and park-villages are rapidly extending. Twining, at the 
eastern end of the Pennsylvania Avenue bridge; Lincoln Heights, in 
the extreme eastern corner of the district; Garfield and Good Hope, 
on the fine Marlboro Turnpike, which is a favorite run for cyclers 
and where there is a summer hotel — Overlook In?i ; and Congress 
Heights, farther south, are the principal of these suburban centers. 
All of these high ridges were crowned and connected by fortifica- 
tions, some of which remain in fairly good condition, especially Fort 
Stanton, just south of Garfield. A wide and interesting view of the 
city and the Potomac Valley is obtained from its ramparts, and also 
of the great Federal Insane Asylum (p. 153). 



V. 

FROM THE CAPITOL TO THE 
WHITE HOUSE. 



A Walk ui> Pennsylvania Avenue. 

Pennsylvania Avenue is the back-bone of Washington — the 
head of it resting upon the storied heights of Georgetown, and the 
tail lost in the wilderness of shanties east of the Navy Yard. It is 
four miles and a half long, but is broken by the Capitol grounds 
and b}^ the Treasury and White House grounds. Between these two 
breaks it extends as a straight boulevard, one and a half miles in 
length and i6o feet wide, paved with asphalt and expanding at short 
intervals into spaces or parks caused by the angular intersection of 
other streets. It will, by-and-by, be among the grandest streets in 
the United States. It is only recently, however, that this grandeur 
has begun to be realized. For years it was a mere track through a 
wet forest; and when at last the town had progressed to the extent 
of having one sidewalk, made of the sharp chips from the stone 
work of the Capitol, laid down the whole length of " the avenue," the 
people were puffed up with pride. No pavement was attempted 
until 1830, and then it was cheap and bad. 

A walk up ' ' The Avenue " begins at the western gates of the 
Capitol, where First Street, N. W. , curves across its rounded front. 
Pennsylvania Avenue strikes northwest; a few paces at the left, 
Maryland Avenue diverges southwest, straight down to Long 
Bridge. The circles at the beginning of these streets are filled with 
two conspicuous monuments — the Naval or Peace Memorial at Penn- 
sylvania, and the Garfield at Maryland, Avenue. 

The Naval Monument was erected in 1878 from contributions by 
officers and men of that service " in memory of the officers, seamen, 
and marines of the United States Navy who fell in defense of the 

(73) 



FROM THE CAPITOL TO THE WHITE HOUSE. 73 

Union and liberty of their country, 1 861-1865." It was designed 
from a sketch by Admiral David D. Porter, elaborated by 'Franklin 
Simmons, at Rome, and is of pure Carrara marble, resting upon an 
elaborate granite foundation designed by Edward Clark, the present 
architect of the Capitol. America is sorrowfully narrating the loss 
of her defenders, while History records on her tablet: " They died 
that their country might live. " Below these figures on the western 
plinth of the monument is a figure of Victory, with an infant Nep- 
tune and Mars, holding aloft a laurel wreath, and on the reverse 
is a figure of Peace offering the olive branch. The cost was $41,000, 
half of which was given by Congress for the pedestal and its two 
statues. 

The Garfield Statue is a more recent acquisition, having been 
erected by his comrades of the Army of the Cumberland, and 
unveiled in 1887, to commemorate the virtues and popularity of 
President James A. Garfield, whose assassination, six years before, 
(p. 7), had horrified the whole country. The statesman stands upon 
a massive pedestal, in the attitude of an orator; nearer the base of 
the statue three figures represent three phases of his career — 
student, soldier, and publicist. This statue was designed by J. Q. A. 
Ward, and erected at an expense of $65,000, half of which was 
appropriated by Congress to pay for the pedestal and its three 
bronze figures. In the triangle between these two avenues lies the 
ten-acre tract of the Botanical Gai'dcn, where Congressmen get 
their button-hole bouquets, and their wives cuttings and seeds for 
pretty house-plants. It long ago outlived its scientific usefulness, 
and has never attained excellence as a public pleasure-garden or 
park, while its cost has been extravagant. In its central greenhouse 
may be seen certain tropical plants brought home by the Wilkes and 
Perry exploring expeditions; and the conspicuous illuminated foun- 
tain in the center of the grounds is the one by Bartholdi, so greatly 
admired at the Centennial Exposition, 1876. It cost $6,000. In 
1S36, Congress bought a fountain for this garden from Hiram 
Powers. 

Through this garden, and along the northern margin of The Mall 
beyond it, used to run the old Tiber Canal, and there was much low, 
malaria-producing ground in this region. To get money to fill this 
up, Congress sold as building lots the land opposite the Botanical 
Garden, along the northern side of Pennsylvania Avenue, which 
had been reserved as a park, extending as far as Four-and-a-half 
Street. The small buildings and petty enterprises there are relics of 
6 



74 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

what followed. Four-and-a-half Street, taking the place of Fourth .i 
and Fifth, which are absent south of Judiciary Square, is a broad I 
thoroughfare coming straight down from the city hall (p. 17), in [ 
front of which is the Lincoln Column. This street, which runs ■ 
straight to the gate of the military post at Greenleaf's Point (p. 153), 
has two or three churches, still prominent, and many fine old houses ; 
reminders of the days, thirty- five years back, when it was the center • 
of the fashionable residence-quarter. It was along this part of the 
Avenue that the famous gambling-houses of Washington kept open 
house many years ago. 

The buildings improve as we proceed, and in the next block, on 
the right, is the National Hotel, with the St. James opposite — both 
old houses. The record of the National goes back to the early 
decades of the century, and in the time of Clay and Webster it was 
filled wnth the leading spirits in the Government, who caused many 
memorable things to happen beneath its roof. Its first conductor 
was Mr. Gadsby, who came from Alexandria, and the hotel has 
always been conducted after Southern models and still commands 
more custom from that region than elsewhere. Passing the Balti- 
more & Potomac (Pennsylvania Rd.) Station on the left (p. 7), 
we cross Sixth Street, and find ourselves in front of the Meti'opolitan 
Hotel — an immense, old-fashioned hostelry standing upon ground 
devoted to hotel uses since the opening of the century. Here was 
the Great, or Brown's, Hotel kept by the Browns, father and son, 
which later took the title of Indian Queen, and was the scene of the 
greatest festivities of the first third of the city's career. It has been 
a capacious hotel under its present name for many years, and is 
largely inhabited by Congressmen. 

This brings us to Seventh Street, the chief north-and-south artery \ 
of traffic; and this is one of the busiest corners in the city, several, 
railways crossing here and exchanging passengers, who get their 
transfer tickets at a booth under an awning, on the southwest, 
corner. Out of the open plaza, northwest, where open-air preachers 
hold forth every Sunday, and nostrum-vendors on week-da5^s, 
Louisiana Avenue extends in a broad boulevard to Judiciary Square. 
Its diagoii^l crossing of Pennsylvania Avenue leaves a triangle, upon 
which stands the big equestrian statue of Maj.-Gen. Winfield S. 
Hancock, by Henry J. Ellicott, erected in 1S96. 

On the south side of the avenue here, stretching from Seventh to 
Ninth Street, is Center Market , one of the most spacious, conven- 
ient, well-furnished, and withal picturesque establishments of its 
kind in the country. 



FROM THE CAPITOL TO THE WHITE HOUSE. 75 

No one should consider a tour of Washington made until they 
have spent an early morning hour in this market, and in the open-air 
country market behind it, along the railings of the Smithsonian 
grounds, where the gaunt farmers of the Virginia and Maryland 
hills stand beside their ramshackle wagons, hovering over little fires 
to keep warm, and quaint old darkies offer for sale old-fashioned 
flowers and "yarbs," live chickens, and fresh-laid eggs, bunches of 
salad or fruit from their tiny; suburban fields, smoking cob pipes and 
crooning wordless melodies just as they used to be in " befo' de wa' " 
days. There are four or five great markets in Washington, the prop- 
erty of corporations, and this city of boarding-houses thus enjoys 
(as from its situation it ought to do) unusual facilities for obtaining 
fresh country produce and the delicacies of sea and river. This 
building is 415 feet long, and cost $350,000, and the others are not 
much smaller; but more outside space is devoted to market busi- 
ness here than elsewhere. Between the market and Pennsylvania 
Avenue is a park space, through which runs the depression marking 
the old Tiber Canal, now a grassy trench crossed by a picturesque 
bridge. Here stands the Statue of Maj .-Gen. John A. Rawlins, 
Grant's Chief of Staff, and later his Secretary of War, who also has a 
small park named after him in the rear of the War Office, where this 
monument was first erected. This statue, which is of bronze, after 
designs by J. Bailey, cast by Wood & Co., in Philadelphia, from 
rebel cannon captured by Grant's armies, was erected in 1874, and 
paid for ($12,000) by friends of the General, who died here in 1869. 

Good modern buildings and fine stores line the avenue from here 
on to Fifteenth Street, especially on the northern side. At Ninth 
Street another north-and-south artery of street-car traffic is crossed, 
and the Academy of Music appears at the right. On the corner is 
Perry's dry-goods store, one of the most completely "stocked" in 
the city. The sharp angle southward, between Louisiana Avenue 
and C Street, was for many years occupied by the second Ford's 
Theater, which later became a vaudeville play-house. 

Tenth Street, the next, is historic. At the left, past the market^ 
is the principal entrance to the Smithsonian grounds; and on the cor- 
ner is the office of a lively morning newspaper. The Times. The 
open space here is decorated with Plassniajis Statue of Bejijamin 
Frank I if I, looking shrewdly down upon the trafficking throng, as that 
eminent man of affairs was wont to do. It is marble, of heroic size, 
represents Franklin in his court dress as Minister to the Court of 
France, and was presented to the city in 1889, by Stillson Hutchins, 
an editor and writer of wide reputation. The assassination of 
President Lincoln occurred in the old Ford's Theater on this Tenth 
Street, in the second block north of Pennsylvania Avenue, and the 
buildings made sacred by the event are still standing. 



76 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

Ford's Theater, which, during the Civil War, was the leading 
theater in the city, has long been occupied by the Government as 
offices. Here, on the night of April 14, 1S65, President Lincoln, with 
members of his family and staff, went, by special invitation, to wit- 
ness a play in which the actor J. Wilkes Booth had a principal part. 
During an intermission Booth entered the box in which the President 
sat, shot him in the back of the head with a revolver, and then leaped 
to the stage. At the same time other assassins made attempts upon 
the life of the cabinet officers — that upon Secretary Wm. H. Seward 
nearly proving successful. Booth leaped to the stage, and, with the 
other assassins, made his escape, but all were soon recaptured, 
brought to Washington (except Booth, who was killed in Maryland) 
and incarcerated in the old penitentiary at the Arsenal (p. 153), where 
four of the leaders of the conspiracy were tried and hung. Ford's 
Theater was at once closed by order of the Government, which pur- 
chased the building in 1866. It was remodeled and appropriated to 
the uses of the surgeon-general's office. There were placed the col- 
lections and vast library now safely stored in the Army Medical 
Museum (p. 119). Later the building was handed over to the Record 
and Pension Division of the War Department, and on June 9, 1893, 
suffered a collapse of the floors, which caused the death and maiming 
of many clerks. During all this time the proscenium pillar, next 
which Mr. Lincoln sat when he was killed, had been preserved in 
place, properly marked; it survived the disaster of 1893, and can still 
be seen. 

The house to which Lincoln was carried, opposite the theater 
(No. 516), is marked by a tablet, and is open to visitors, who are 
shown the rear room on the ground floor in which the great martyr 
died. A large and miscellaneous collection of "Lincoln relics" is 
now displayed by the owner in the other rooms, and an admission 
fee of 25 cents is charged. 

The corner of Eleventh Street is distinguished by the office of the 
long-established and ably edited Evening Star, opposite which, fill- 
ing the whole square on the south side, is the lofty, castellated, steel- 
framed, and stone-walled Post Office, completed in 1898. It has more 
the appearance of a commercial than a Government building, and 
embodies every arrangement for safety and convenience known to 
modern architects. It cost over $2,500,000. The ground floor is 
now occupied by the City Post Office, and the upper floors will be 
devoted to the General Post Office, soon to be moved from Seventh 
Street. On the southeast corner of the avenue and Eleventh Street 
is Harvey's old-time restaurant, celebrated for its oysters, and next 
to it Kernan's Lyceum — a vaudeville theater. Next comes 

Twelfth Street. Here the northeast corner is occupied by the tall, 
new Raleigh Hotel, whose lobby is a wonder of marble and metal 
work, and a little above, among fine shops, is the office of The News, 



FROM THE CAPITOL TO THE WHITE HOUSE. 77 

Thirteenth Street follows, with two pretty little parks — that on 
the right confronted by hotels, restaurants, etc., and by the New 
National Theater, which is among the foremost places of amusement 
in the city. The handsome home of The Post, the leading morning 
newspaper, is just beyond. On the south side of the street, half a 
square is covered by the ruins of the power-house of the old Wash- 
ington & Georgetown Railroad, now expanded into the electric 
system of the Capital Traction Company. If you care to see what 
Washington looked like forty years ago, glance down Thirteen-and- 
a-half Street (terminus of the Mount Vertiojt Railway), or wander 
southwest of it, where various obscure streets are inhabited by the 
demi-monde and their companions. This region acquired the soubri- 
quet of "the Division" during the war, when the provost-marshal 
used to throw a cordon about the whole district at midnight, and put 
under arrest every soldier caught inside the net when morning came; 
glimpses are caught, beyond it, of the Smithsonian Grounds, etc. 
Then comes 

Fourteenth Street. This is the most important thoroughfare, 
north and south, in this part of the city, extending from the Long 
Bridge, at the foot of Maryland Avenue, northward to Mount Pleas- 
ant. The Belt Line cars run southward upon it from Pennsylvania 
Avenue to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and so on around to 
the Capitol. At the right (northward) the street slopes steeply up the 
hill to F Street, and this block, as far as the Ebbitt House, is known 
as Newspaper Row, because filled with the offices of correspondents 
of newspapers all over the country. Opposite them, filling the 
northwest corner, is Willard's Hotel. 

The traditions of Wil lard's go back to the early days. John 
Tayloe, owner of the Octagon House (p. 107), built a hotel, which 
descended to Ogle Tayloe, and was called the City Hotel, but never 
succeeded until Mrs. Tayloe advised her husband to engage as its 
manager the steward of a Hudson River steamer whose dining-room 
arrangements had attracted her admiration. The result was the 
coming to Washington, from Vermont, of Henry A. Willard, soon 
followed by three brothers. Their skill and address soon lifted the 
hotel to a level with the best. Presently, C. C. Willard took charge 
of the new Ebbitt House, and still later, Tayloe's Hotel was rebuilt, 
and became the present " Willard's" Hotel, which was opened by a 
grand banquet at which such men as Edward Everett, J. Q. Adams, 
Judge Marshall, Webster, Clay, and Calhoun made merry speeches. 
During the war Willard's Hotel was the most prominent, if not the 
best, hotel at the capital, and every army officer and statesman, from 
Lincoln and Grant down, was entertained there, and many momen- 



78 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

tous things have been said and done by these powerful men within 
its walls. Willard's no longer enjoys the distinction of those days, 
but its lobby is still the foremost resort of political qind7i2i7ics and 
office-seekers, especially from the South and West. 

The block opposite Willard's is devoted to business houses and 
has the Regent Hotel, whose side windows overlook a green expanse 
of parking down to the Potomac. Around the corner to the left, on 
Fifteenth Street, are the Grand (originally Albaugh's) Opera House, 
occupying a part of the armory of the Washington Light Infantry, 
the house of the Capital Bicycle Club, etc. 

This brings us to the end of the avenue, against the southern por- 
tico of the Treasury. The small wooden building within the gates 
is devoted to the official photographer. Turning to the right, up the 
slope of Fifteenth Street, we pass the busy terminus of F Street, and 
go on to G, where the Riggs House forms a dignified corner-piece. A 
few steps farther the broad avenue in front of the Treasury opens the 
way northward and brings us to that goal of patriotic ambition — the 
White House. 



VI. 

AT THE EXECUTIVE MANSION, 



The Executive Mansion, more commonly called the White House, 
has gained for itself a world-wide reputation in a century's existence. 
George Washington was present at the laying of the corner-stone in 
1792, in what then was simply David Burns' old fields stretching 
down to the Potomac (for this was the first public building to be 
erected), but John Adams was the first President to live in the build- 
ing (1800), which was still so new and damp that his wife was obliged 
to have a literal house-warming to dry the interior sufficiently for 
safety to health. Its cost, up to that time, had been about $250,000. 

The architect, James Hoban, who had won reputation by building 
some of the fine houses on the Battery in Charleston, took his idea 
of the mansion from the house of the Irish Duke of Leinster, in Dublin, 
who had, in turn, copied the Italian style. The material is Virginia 
sandstone, the length is 170 feet, and the width 86 feet. The house 
stands squarely north and south, is of two stories and a basement, 
has a heavy balustrade along the eaves, a semicircular colonnade on 
the south side (facing the river and finest grounds), and a grand portico 
and porte-cochere on the northern front, added in Jackson's time. 
Its cost, to the present, exceeds $1,500,000. In 1S14 the British set 
fire to the building, but heavy rains extinguished the conflagration 
before it had greatly injured the walls. Three years later the house 
had been restored, and the whole was then painted white, to cover 
the ravages of fire on its freestone walls, a color which has been kept 
ever since, and is likely to remain as long as the old house does, not 
only because of the tradition, but because it is really effective among 
the green foliage in which the mansion is ensconced. It was reopened 
for the New Year's Day reception of President Monroe in 1818. 

(79) 



80 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. I 

The President's Grounds consist of some eighty acres sloping 
down to the Potomac Flats. The immediate gardens were early- 
attended to, as is shown by the age and size o£ the noble trees; but only 
lately has the more distant part of the grounds been set in order. This 
part, as also the park nearer the house, is oj^en freely to the public, 
under the eye of policemen; and here, in warm weather, the Marine 
Band gives out-door concerts in the afternoon, and the people come 
to enjoy them. At such times fashion gathers in its carriages upon 
the winding roads south of the mansion, and assumes the formal 
parade of Rotten Row or the Bois de Boulogne. It is here, too, on 
the sloping terrace just behind the AVhite House, that the children of 
the city gather on Easter Day to roll their colored eggs — a pretty 
custom that is purely local and the origin of which has been quite 
forgotten. Lafayette Square (p. 122) ought also to be included as 
practically a part of the President's grounds. 

Admission to certain parts of the White House is almost as free 
to everybody as it is to any other of the people's buildings in their 
capital. Coming from Pennsylvania Avenue by the principal 
approach, along the semicircular carriage drive that leads up from 
the open gates, the visitor enters the stately vestibule through the 
front portico, from whose middle upper window Lincoln made so many 
impromptu but memorable addresses during the war. Here will 
be found doorkeepers, without livery or other distinguishing mark 
save a badge, who direct callers upon the President up the staircase 
to the offices (p. 83)> and form visitors, who wish to see the public 
rooms of the mansion, into little parties, who are conducted under 
their guidance. The first jjublic apartment visited is that on 
the left as you enter, occupying the eastern wing of the building and 
called 

T/ie East Room. This, which was originally designed for a ban- 
quet hall, and so used until 1827, is now the state reception room. 
It is 80 feet in length, 40 feet wide, and 22 feet high, and has 
eight beautiful marble mantels surmounted by tall mirrors. Its 
embellishments are renewed every eight or ten years, reflecting the 
changing fashion in decoration; but the crystal chandeliers, which 
depend from each of the three great panels of the ceiling (dating, 
with their supporting pillars, from Grant's time), are never changed; 
and whatever the style, the profusion of gilding and mirrors gives a 
brilliant background for the gorgeously arrayed assemblages that 
gather here on state occasions, when the hall is a blaze of light and 



I 




4 



THE RALEIGH 



Pennsylvania Ave., cor. 12th Street, N. W. 



WASHINGTON, D. C, 



EUROPEAN PLAN. MODERN CONSTRUCTION. 

ABSOLUTELY FIRE-PROOF. 




Opposite New City Post Office, accessible to all 
points of interest in the city. 

T. J. TALTY, Manager. 



AT THE EXECUTIVE MANSION: 81 

a garden of foliage and flowers from the great conservatories. Full- 
length portraits of George and Martha Washington are conspicuous 
among the pictures on the walls. The former used to be thought 
one painted by Gilbert Stuart (p. 36), but it is now known to be 
the work of an obscure English artist who copied Stuart's style — a 
" very feeble imitation" Healy pronounced it. 

" Every visitor is told," remarks Mr. E. V. Smalley, who explained 
these facts in T/ie Century Magazine, " that Mrs. Madison cut this 
painting from out of its frame with a pair of shears, to save it from 
the enemy, when she fled from the town [in 18 14]; but in her own 
letters describing the hasty flight, she says that Mr. Custis, the 
nephew of Washington, hastened over from Arlington to save the 
precious portrait, and that a servant cut the outer frame with an ax, 
so that the canvas could be removed, stretched on the inner frame." 

The portrait of Mrs. Martha Washington is a modern compo- 
sition by E. B. Andrews of Washington. A full-length portrait of 
Thomas Jefferson, also by Mr. Andrews, and one of Lincoln, by Cog- 
geshall, also occupy panels here. 

The East Room is open to any one daily from ten to three, but the 
other official apartments are only visible by special request, or, when, 
at intervals, a custodian leads a party through them. 

Adjoining the East Room, at its southern end, is the Green Room, 
so named from the general color of its decorations and furniture, 
which are traditional. The tone is pale gray green. The ceiling is 
ornamented with an exquisite design of musical instruments entwined 
in a garland with cherubs and flowers, and there is a grand piano. 
There are touches of gilt everywhere upon the ivory-like woodwork, 
and the rococo open-work in the tops of the windows, from which 
the curtains hang, is noticeable. Here hang several notable por- 
traits. One of these is a full-length, by Huntington, President of 
the National Academy, of Mrs. Benjamin Harrison, which Avas pre- 
sented by the Daughters of the American Revolution, of whose 
society she was president. Another notable portrait by the same 
artist is the full-length of Mrs. Rutherford B. Hayes, presented 
by the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, commemorating 
Mrs. Hayes' courage in maintaining the cold-water regime at the 
Executive Mansion. Three other portraits are hung here by friends. 
One is of Mrs. James K. Polk; another, of the second wife of Presi- 
dent Tyler, and the third, of the wife of Major Van Buren, son of 
President Martin Van Buren, known in his time as " Prince Harry. " 

Next to this is the somewhat larger (40 by 30 feet) and oval Blue 



82 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

Room, which bows outward in the center of the colonnade of the 
south front of the building, and whose decorations are in pale blue 
and gold. It is here that the President stands when holding recep- 
tions, the ceremonial of which is described elsewhere (p. 140); and 
here President and Mrs. Cleveland were married in 1886. 

The Red Room, west of the Blue Room, a square room of the same 
size as the Green Parlor, has a more home-like look than the others, 
by reason of its piano, mantel ornaments, abundant furniture, and 
pictures, and the fact that it is used as a reception-room and private 
parlor by the ladies of the mansion. The prevailing tone is Pom- 
peiian red, and the walls are covered with portraits, as follows: 

A full-length of President Arthur, by Daniel Huntington, N. A. 

A full-length of Cleveland, by Eastman Johnson. 

A full-length of Benjamin Harrison, by Eastman Johnson, 1S95. 

A half-length of James A. Buchanan. 

A half-length of Martin Van Buren, by Healy.'^ 

A half-length of Zachary Taylor, by Heal}^. 

A half-length of John Adams, by Healy. 

All these rooms open upon the corridor running lengthwise the 
building and separated from the vestibule by a partition of glass, 
which President Arthur prevailed upon Congress to order, to replace 
an old wooden one. "The light coming through the partition of 
wrinkled stained-glass mosaic makes a marvelously rich and gorgeous 
effect, falling upon the gilded niches where stand dwarf palmetto 
trees, the silvery net-work of the ceiling, and the sumptuous furni- 
ture." In this corridor hang several portraits of Presidents, includ- 
ing a full-length of Washington by an Ecuadorian artist, Cadena of 
Quito, and presented by him; and of Polk, Garfield (by Andrews), 
Hayes, Fillmore, Tyler, Grant (by Le Clair), and Jackson — one of 
Andrews' early efforts. Many of the older ones are by Healy, who 
painted portraits of Presidents J. Q. Adams, Tyler, Jackson, Van 
Buren, Taylor, Fillmore, Polk, Pierce, Buchanan, Lincoln, and Grant. 
Each President is supposed to leave his portrait here. 

The State Diiiijig Room is at the south end of this corridor, ori 
the left, in the corner of the house. It measures 40 by 30 feet, and 

* George P. A. Healy was born in Boston in 18 14; went to Paris to study art 
in 1836, and spent most of his life in Europe, returning occasionally, and passing 
the years 1855 to 1867 in Chicago. He was a vigorous portrait painter, producing 
several hundred pictures, including those of almost every prominent American 
of his time, and many of the most distinguished persons in Europe, where he 
was identified with the court of Louis Phillipe. He painted a few historical 
groups, of which his "Webster Replying to Hayne," now in Faneuil Hall, Bos- 
ton, IS best known. He died in 1894, and a gossipy volume of his " Reminis- 
cences" was published subsequently. See also pages 46 and 84. 



A T THE EXECUTIVE MANSION. 83 

is in the Colonial style, the prevailing colors being a dull yellow, 
meant to light up warmly under gas-light. 

" The ceiling is surrounded with a frieze of garlands, about 3}^ feet 
wide, with medallions at intervals. From these wreaths and vines 
run to the chandeliers. Beneath the cornice is a heavy frieze about 
four feet in width, which blends into the wall, with garlands of native 
vines, leaves, and fruits. . . . The general character of the work is 
known as ' applique relief,' which is produced by blending transpar- 
ent colors on alight ground, . . . the effect being greatly increased 
by the fact that the various colors and figures are ' edged up ' in relief 
to imitate the corded or raised work in applique. . . . State dinners 
are usually given once or twice a week during the winter, and are 
brilliant affairs. Lavish use is made of plants and flowers from the 
conservatories, and the table, laden with a rare display of plate, por- 
celain, and cut-glass, presents a beautiful appearance, forming an 
effective setting for the ga)^ toilets of the ladies and their glittering 
jewels. The table service is exceedingly beautiful, and is adorned 
with various representations of the flora and fauna of America. 
The new set of cut-glass was made at White Mills, Pa., and is 
regarded as the finest ever produced in this country. It consists of 
520 separate pieces, and was especially ordered by the Government 
for the White House. On each piece of the set, from the mammoth 
center-piece and punch-bowl to the tiny salt cellars, is engraved the 
coat of arms of the United States. The execution of the order occu- 
pied several months, and cost $6,000. The table can be made to 
accommodate as many as fifty-four persons, but the usual number of 
guests is from thirty to forty." * 

The western door of the corridor leads into the conservatory, 
which is always in flourishing beauty; and opposite the state dining- 
room is the private or family dining-room, a cozy apartment looking 
out upon the avenue. The private stairway is near its door. A but- 
ter's pantry, a small waiting-room at the right of the vestibule, and 
an elevator complete the list of rooms on this main floor. 

The basement is given up entirely to the kitchen, store-rooms, and 
servants' quarters. 

The business offices of the President and his secretaries are on the 
second floor, at the eastern end, and are reached by a stairway at the 
left of the vestibule. At the head of the stairway sits a messenger 
who directs persons into the large ante-room, which is in reality a 

* To this quotation from Evans it is proper to add that the President sits 
in the middle of the table, with his wife opposite, and the guests are arranged 
without any recognized rule of official precedence — a matter upon which the 
aristocratic early Presidents wasted a deal of thought, onl^ to have Jefferson cut 
the Gordian knot by giving nobody precedence, but treating his guests exactly 
as any private gentleman would do. Nevertheless, the Presidents are expected 
to, and do, acknowledge distinctions in placing their guests, though the rule 
could hardly be formulated. See Chapter X. 



84 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

part of the broad hall reaching from end to end of the second floor 
that has been partitioned off. Here are polite and sagacious attend- 
ants, who take the cards of visitors to the President, usually by way 
of the private secretary, and in many cases they get no farther. 

The Secretary to the Preside7tt has grown to be an important 
personage with the increase of executive business, all of whose details 
he supervises, having for himself (at present) the southeast corner 
room, and for his assistants the two rooms across the hall facing 
Pennsylvania Avenue. He has not only the President's correspond- 
ence and ordinary records to look after, but must do much that no 
other office requires. Big ledgers of applications for office are 
posted up daily ; numerous pigeon-holes are filled with letters 
and petitions ; the newspapers are read and scrap-books are 
made ; one room is devoted to telegraph and telephone service ; 
in short, here are all the paraphernalia of a busy public office. 
According to the present rules the President (Mr. McKinley) holds 
cabinet meetings each Tuesday and Friday at ii.oo a. m., and 
reserves these days for " public business requiring his uninterrupted 
attention"; will receive Senators and Representatives from lo.oo to 
12. oo every day except cabinet days, and other persons from 12.00 to 
1. 00 o'clock; while those having no business, but w^ho desire lo pay 
their respects, will be received by the President in the East Room at 
3.00 p. m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. 

The President's office is next to that of the private secretary — a 
large, plain, comfortably furnished room, lined with cases of books 
of law and reference. His great desk is at the southern end of the 
room, and the President sits with his back to the window% which 
commands a wide view down the Potomac. The massive oak table 
here is made from timbers of the Resolute, a ship abandoned in the 
Arctic ice while searching for Sir John Franklin, in 1854, but recov- 
ered by American whalers; it is a gift from Queen Victoria. 1 

The Cabinet Room is next beyond, immediately over the Green 
Room — another plain, handsome, rather dark apartment, wnth a 
long table down the center surrounded by arm-chairs. The Presi- 
dent sits at the southern end of the table, with the Secretary of State 
on his right, the Secretary of the Treasury on his left, and the others 
farther down the table. The more or less valuable portraits of 
several past Presidents look down upon them from the walls. 

" It was no part of the plan of the White House . . . that it should 
be a public office, but with the growth of the country and of the political 
patronage system, the proper use of the building as a dwelling for 
the chief magistrate has been more subordinated to its official use as 
a bureau of appointments and a rendezvous for the scheming poli- 
ticians of the two houses of Congress, who claim the Government 
offices in their States as their personal property, to be parceled out 



A T THE EXECUTIVE MANSION. 85 

by the President in accordance with their wishes. It will doubtless 
surprise many people to learn that hospitality, save in the restricted 
sense of giving dinners, is almost an impossibility to the President of 
the United States, for the reason that he has no beds for guests. 
There are only seven sleeping rooms in the mansion, besides those of 
the servants on the basement floor. If a President has a moderately 
numerous household, ... he can hardly spare for guests more 
than the big state bedroom. A President may wish to invite an 
ambassador and his family, or a party of distinguished travelers 
from abroad, to spend a few days at the White House, but he can not 
do so without finding lodgings elsewhere for the members of his own 
household. It has been said over and over again, in the press, that 
Congress should either provide offices for the President, or should 
build for him a new dwelling, and devote the mansion exclusively to 
business purposes; but Congress is in no hurry to do either."—^. V. 
S))ialley. 

The Executive Mansion is well guarded. A large force of watch- 
men, including police officers, is on duty inside the mansion at all 
hours, and a continuous patrol is maintained by the local police of the 
grounds immediately surrounding the mansion, and it is hardly 
possible for any one to approach the building at any time without 
detection. The patrol of the grounds entails special hardships in 
the bitter cold nights of winter, and it was to lessen these that the 
sentry boxes were erected. As an additional safeguard, automatic 
alarm signals are fixed in different parts of the house, and there are 
telephones and telegraphs to the military posts, so that a strong force 
of police and soldiers could be obtained almost at a moment's notice. 
The annoyance and danger from cranks, as well as villains, has thus 
been as fully guarded against as it is possible to do. 



VII. 
THE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS. 



The Executive Departments are those over which the cabinet 
officers preside and in which the daily administration of the Gov- 
ernment is carried on. There have not always been so many, nor 
have they always been known by their present names ; and it is only 
recently, under the law of 1886, prescribing the order of succession to 
the Presidency, that any authoritative sequence could be observed in 
the list, which is now as follows : 

The Department of State, presided over by the Honorable the 
Secretary of State. 

The Treasury Department, the Secretary of the Treasury. 

The War Department, the Secretary of War. 

The Department of Justice, the Attorney-General. 

The Post Office Department, the Postmaster-General. 

The Navy Department, the Secretary of the Navy. 

The Department of the Interior, the Secretary of the Interior. 

The Department of Agriculture, the Secretary of Agriculture. 

All these are situated in the immediate neighborhood of the 
Executive Mansion, except those of the Post Office, Interior, and 
Agriculture. 

The departments are the business offices of the Government, and 
" politics " has much less to do with their practical conduct than the 
popular clamor would lead one to suppose. The occasional shirk or 
blatherskite makes himself noticed, but the average employe, from 
head to foot of the list, faithfully attends to his business and does his 
work. This must be so, or the business of the nation could not be 
carried on ; and otherwise, men and women would not grow gray in 
its service, as they are doing, because their fidelity and skill can not 
be spared so long as their strength holds out. Year by year, with 
the growth of intelligence and the extension of the civil service idea 
and practice, "politics" has less and less to do with the practical 

(86) 



THE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS. 87 

administration of the business of the nation at its capital; and year 
by year, better and more economical methods and results are 
achieved. No civil pensions have yet been estabUshed as the further 
reward of long and faithful service. 

The Department of State stands first on the list, and occupies 
the south and noblest front of the State, War, and Navy Buildmg 
—that towering pile of granite west of the White House, which has 
been so honestly admired by the populace and so often condemned 
by critics. The architect was A. B. Mullet, who had a great fondness 
for the "Itahan renaissance," as is shown by the post offices of 
New York and Boston, and by other pubhc edifices executed while he 
was supervising architect of the Treasury. This building is 471 feet 
long by 253 feet wide, and surrounds a paved court-yard containing 
engine-houses, etc. It is built, outwardly, of granite from Virginia 
and Maine, and the four fagades are substantially alike, though the 
south front, where space and slope of the ground favors, has a 
grander entrance than the other sides. The building was begun in 
1S71 and not wholly finished until 1893, covers four and a half acres, 
contains two miles of corridors, and cost $10,700,000. It is in charge 
of a superintendent, responsible to a commission composed of the 
three Secretaries occupying it. 

The Department of State has charge not only of all correspond- 
ence and deahngs with foreign nations, but of the correspondence 
between the President and the Executives of the States. It is the 
custodian of treaties with foreign states, of the laws of the Dnitecl 
States, the publication of which is under its direction; and ot the 
Great Seal, which is affixed to all executive proclamations, to various 
commissions, and to warrants for the extradition of fugitives from 
justice. The Secretary of State is the "premier,'-' m the sense that 
he is the first cabinet officer appointed, and first (after the Vice- 
President) in rank of succession to the Presidency m case ot an 
accidental vacancy. His lieutenants are the first, second and third 
assistant secretaries and a chief clerk, and the work of the depart- 
ment is divided among six bureaus, as follows: Diplomatic Bureau 
— diplomatic correspondence; Consular Bureau — consular corre- 
spondence; Bureau of Indexes and Archives — opening, preparing, 
indexing, and registering all correspondence, and preservation ot the 
archives; Bureau of Accounts — custody and disbursement of appro- 
priations, indemnity funds and bonds, and care of the property; 
Bureauof Rolls and Library — custody of the treaties etc ; promul- 
gation of the laws, etc.; care and superintendence of the library and 
public documents; care of the Revolutionary archives, and of papers 
relating to international commissions; Bureau of Statistic^ — edits 
and publishes the consular reports and the annual report to Congress 
entitled "Commercial Relations of the United States." 



88 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

All of the apartments of the " foreign office" are elegant, and one 
fancies he sees a greater formality and dignity, as certainly there is 
more of studious quiet, here than in any other department. The 
Secretary and assistant secretaries occupy a line of handsome offices 
in the second story, looking southward across the park, among which 
is the long and stately room assigned to conferences with representa- 
tives of foreign governments, or similar meetings, and hence called 
the Diplomatic Room. An opportunity to inspect this should be 
accepted, if only to obtain a sight of the likenesses of the past Secre- 
taries of State, with which its walls are almost covered. All of these 
portraits are by men of talent, and some are of superior merit: That 
of Clay, by E. D. Marchant, and those of Fish and Frelinghuysen, 
by Huntington, are especially praised. Lord Ashburton is here also, 
beside Webster — his great coadjutor in the adjudication of the 
boundary between the United States and Canada. This room, 
the furniture, rugs, and hangings of which are dark and elegant, 
is said to have been arranged by Secretary Hamilton Fish. Near by 
is another elegant apartment — the Diplomatic Ante-Roo7n, where 
foreign dignitaries await audience with the premier. 

The show-room of the department, however, is The Lib7-ary, 
in spite of the fact that several curious objects, formerly exhibited 
there, are no longer on view. 

The precious oj-igiiial drafts of the Declaration of Independence 
and of the Constitution were disintegrating and fading under exposure 
to the light, and have been shut up in a steel safe, after having been 
hermetically sealed between plates of glass, which arrangement, it is 
hoped, will stop their decay. A precise fac-simile of the Declaration, 
made about 1820, hangs upon the Library wall. The Great Seal and 
certain curious early treaties of oriental and barbarous states are no 
longer exhibited. Here may be seen, however, the war sword of 
"Washington — the identical weapon he was accustomed to wear in 
camp and campaign; and the sword of Jackson, at New Orleans — 
broken, to be sure, but mended by a skillful armorer, and not by 
himself at a blacksmith's forge, as the old story relates. Jefferson's 
writing-desk, Franklin's staff and buttons from his court dress, a 
lorgnette given by Washington to Lafa5^ette, a copy of the Fckin 
Gazette, which has been /r/;;/'r<'^ continuously, as a daily newspaper, 
since the eighth century, and several other personal relics and 
historical curiosities will reward the visitor. An illustrated and 
interesting account of these and other treasures was published in 
Harper's Magazine for March, 1878. 

The Library itself is a very notable one, equal to those of the 
governments of Great Britain and France in importance as a col- 



THE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS. 89 

lection of books of international law and diplomacy. Cognate 
works, such as biographies, histories, and travels of a certain sort, 
supplement this central collection, and the whole now includes some 
60,000 volumes. Its purpose is to serve as a reference library for the 
department. It also includes a great quantity of the papers of public 
men of the past, which have been acquired by purchase or otherwise, 
and are distinct from the correspondence archives of the department. 
For the papers of Washington (bound into 336 volumes) $45,000 was 
paid in 1834 and 1849; for the Madison papers (75 vols., 1848) $25,000; 
for the Jefferson MSS. (137 vols., 1848) $20,000; and for the Monroe 
papers (22 vols., 1849) $20,000. More recently have been acquired 
the papers of Hamilton (65 vols.), of Benjamin Franklin (32 vols., 
$35,000), and extensive records of the Revolutionary army. 

The War Department has quarters in the same great building, 
occupying the western and part of the northern front, as is indicated 
by the cannons lying upon the buttresses of the porches. The Sec- 
retary and Assistant Secretary of War, the General of the army, and 
several military bureaus have their offices there, but none of them 
are open, of course, to the casual visitor. At the head of the stair- 
case, near the northwestern corner, are models of certain arms and 
ordnance, and of wagons, ambulances, etc., and also two show-cases 
of life-size lay figures exhibiting the uniforms of various ranks in the 
Revolutionary army. The wall of the staircase is embellished with 
portraits of past Secretaries, and in the corridor and ante-rooms of 
the Secretary's office are other paintings, including grand portraits of 
Grant, Sherman, and Sheridan, by Daniel C. Huntington. The 
Washington portrait here is one of Stuart's copies from his original 
study. 

The old Winder Buildmg, on the opposite side of Seventeenth 
Street, erected many years ago by Gen. Wm. H. Winder, an army 
officer who distinguished himself in the early part of the War of 1812, 
and commanded the troops here in 1814, was intended for a hotel. 
It was taken for offices of the War Department, however, and has 
been so occupied ever since. In it General Halleckhad his office and 
the staff headquarters of the army during the Civil War, Secretary 
Stanton's office being in the building demolished to make room for the 
present structure. The old ' ' Ordnance Museum " has been abolished. 

General Grant's Headquarters, when, after the war, he lived in 
Washington in command of the army, were in the large house with 
the high stoop on the opposite or southeast corner of Seventeenth 
and F streets. It is now a private residence. McClellan's head- 
quarters during the early half of the war were at the northeast 
corner of Lafayette Square, now the Cosmos clubhouse (p. 127). 



90 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

The military bureaus of the War Department are under the follow- 
ing staff -officers: Adjutant General, Inspector General, Quartermas- 
ter General, Commissary General of Subsistence, Surgeon General 
(in Avhose dej^artment is the Army Medical Museum (j). 119), Pay- 
master General, Chief of Engineers, Chief of Ordnance, Judge Advo- 
cate General (the law officer of the army), Chief Signal Officer, and 
Chief of the Record and Pension Office (p. 76). 

None of these officers, although regularly on duty, wear the slight- 
est approach to a uniform; the clerks and attendants are all civilians, 
and there is not a guard or soldier (in appearance) anywhere around 
the place. The same is true of the Navy Department; and even the 
cavalrymen who used to gallop between the Capitol and the White 
House with messages, have been rejDlaced by telephones. This may 
be very democratic, and discouraging to the ghost of "Csesarism," 
which frightens people from time to time; but it is far from pictur- 
esque. If the army and navy men would let a modest amount of 
blue and gold appear, as though they were rather fond of the uniform 
of their country's service, and if the diplomatic corps (which rarely 
have the grace even to unfurl their national flags on their legations) 
would make some outdoor display of the livery and equipage to 
which they are entitled at home, and which they are required to 
exhibit in other capitals of the world, it would hurt none of these 
persons, and it would contribute a great deal to the color and gayety 
of this already brilliant and beautiful city. Something of this kind 
ought to be enforced for its moral as well as picturesque effect. 

The Navy Department has possession of the remaining third of the 
building, with an entrance facing the White House, signified by 
anchors upon the portico. The Secretary and Assistant Secretary pre- 
side over nine bureaus, whose chiefs are detailed officers of the 
navy. These are: 

I. Bureau of Navigation, having the practical control of the ships 
and men in actual service, and including the Hydrographic Office and 
Naval Academy at Annapolis, but not the War College at Newport. 
2. Bureau of Yards and Docks. 3. Bureau of Equipment, which 
has charge, among other things, of the Naval Observatory (p. 170), 
the Nautical Almanac, and the Compass Office. 4. Bureau of 
Ordnance. 5. Bureau of Construction and Rej^air. 6. Bureau of 
Steam Engineering. 7. Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, under 
whose supervision is maintained a Museum of^ Hygiene, in the old 
Naval Observatory, which is interesting to specialists. S. Bureau of 
Supplies and Accounts (but the Navy Pay Office is at No. 1429 New 
York Avenue). 9. Of^ce of the Judge Advocate General — the 



THE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS. 91 

department's law officer. lo. Office of the Commandant of the 
Marine Corps, who is responsible directly to the Secretary of the 
Navy. By the time a ship is built, equipped, armed, and manned, 
she has gone through every one of these bureaus, and must have 
had a good pilot if she escaped being dashed to pieces against some 
of their regulations, or crushed by collision of authority between 
their chiefs. 

The models of ships, on view in the corridor near the entrance 
and on the next floor above, form an exhibit of great interest, graph- 
ically displaying the difference between the early wooden frigates 
and line-of -battle ships and the modern steel cruisers and turreted 
men-of-war. These models ought not to be overlooked; the library, 
also, is well worth attention, on account of the portraits of 
departed Secretaries, as well as for the sake of its professional books. 

The Treasury. — The financial department and the actual treas- 
ury of the Government are housed in the imposing but some- 
what gloomy building which closes the vista up Pennsylvania Avenue 
from the Capitol, and which nearly adjoins the White House park on 
the east. This structure, which, suitably to the alleged American 
worship of money, has been given the form of a pagan temple, is of 
the Ionic-Greek order of architecture modified to suit local require- 
ments. The main building, with its long pillared front on Fifteenth 
Street, was erected of Virginia sandstone, after plans by Robert 
Mills, and completed in 1S41. Some years later extensions were 
undertaken under the architectural direction of Thomas U. Walter, 
which enlarged the building greatly, produced the magnificent granite 
porticos at each end, and resulted in the beautifully designed western 
fagade. The whole building, completed in 1869, is 466 feet long and 
264 wide exclusive of the porticos, incloses two courts, and has cost 
about $10,000,000. 

The Treasury is a place every stranger visits, yet there is little to 
be seen there, unless one is satisfied to stand in gasping admiration 
of heaps of money which he is not allowed to touch. The building 
is open from 9.00 till 2.00; and between 11.00 and 12.00 and i.oo and 
2.00 o'clock, persons who assemble at the office of the Treasurer are 
formed into parties, and conducted to the doors of certain rooms, 
where the guides volubly explain the work in progress there. 

Thus you may see the girls counting and recounting the sheets of 
specially made paper upon which all the United States bonds, notes, 
and revenue stamps are printed; this is the beginning of the long 
routine of " money making," and not one must go unaccounted for. 
This paper is made of components and by a composition which is a 



92 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

secret between the Government and the manufacturers at Dalton, 
near Pittsfield, Mass. It is especially distinguished by the silk fibers 
interwoven with its texture, and, as a part of the monopoly of the 
manufacture of United States money retained by the Federal Gov- 
ernment, the possession of any such paper by private persons is pro- 
hibited under severe penalties, as prima Jacie evidence of intent to 
defraud. The packages of 1,000 sheets, each of the proper size for 
printing four notes, are deftly counted and carefully examined by 
young women, whom long practice has made wonderfully expert. 
When every imperfect sheet has been picked out and replaced by a 
good one, the packages are sent to the printer (see Bureau of Engrav- 
ing and Printing, p. no). 

Next you may be shown the large room to which piles of similar 
sheets, printed with the faces and backs of notes of various denomi- 
nations from $1 to $1,000, have been returned, to receive here, upon 
small steam presses, the red seal, which completes the value of the 
paper as a promise to pay. 

These notes, to the amount of about $1,000,000 in value, on the 
average, are brought over from the Bureau of Engraving and Print- 
ing each morning, being conveyed in a steel-encased wagon, guarded 
by armed messengers. They are first counted by three persons in 
succession, to reduce to the vanishing point the probability of error, 
and then are sent to the Sealing Room mentioned above, where the 
sheets of four unseparated notes are passed through the small steam 
presses that place upon them the red seal of the Treasury of North 
America, or, as it is written in abbreviated Latin upon the seal 
itself: Thesaiir. Anier. Septent. Sigil. 

United States Treasury notes bear the engraved fac-similes of the 
signatures of the United States Treasurer and the Register of the 
Treasury; but National Bank notes are actually signed in ink by 
the president and cashier of the bank issuing them. The latter are 
sent to the banks and receive these signatures before receiving the 
red seal, for which purpose they must be returned there, the banks 
defraying the express charges. 

It is in the room adjoining this that the visitor sees that marvel- 
ous development of the human hand and eye which enables the 
ladies intrusted with the final counting of Uncle Sam's paper money 
to do so with a rapidity that is absolutely bewildering to the beholder. 
As soon as the seals have been printed upon a package of 1,000 sheets 
of notes, these are taken to another little machine, which slices them 
apart, replacing the hand-shears, to w^hose use, in General Spinner's 
day, according to tradition, is due the introduction of female assist- 
ance in the departmental service (a fact about to be recognized by a 



THE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS. 93 

statue in this building to General Spinner, erected by contributions 
from appreciative women). This produces 4,000 notes, which are tied 
up into a standard " package," and laid upon the table of the lirst 
clerk to whom they go for final inspection and counting. Untying a 
package and holding it by her left hand, with the face of the notes 
upward, she lifts the right-hand end of every one of the 4,000 notes, 
scans it for imperfections in texture, printing, sealing, or cutting, 
sees that it is numbered in due order, and that none is missing. 
That all this can be done, and done day after day and month after 
month, with unwearied vigilance, discernment, and accuracy, is suf- 
ficiently extraordinary — since habitual application to routine work 
is likely to breed not only carelessness, but a sort of mental blind- 
ness; but, when to this is added a speed so extraordinary that a 
counter passes on the average 32,000 notes each working-day, the 
performance becomes one of the most wonderful in the range of 
human industry. It would seem that the eye could scarcely form an 
image in the brain of any single note as it flies through the fingers, 
yet so trained and sensitive have these women become, that the 
slightest irregularity of form or color is noted, and each imperfect 
note is rejected, destroyed, and replaced by a perfect one from a 
reserve supply. The rapid counting is facilitated — only made pos- 
sible, in truth — by the fact that the notes, as they fall from the cut- 
ting machine, lie in exact rotation of numbers (in the upper right- 
hand corner), so that the counter need only take cognizance of the 
final unit, sure that as long as these run continuously there is no mis- 
take. Having observed, for example, that her package began 
87,654,320, that the units were repeatedly continuously in order, i, 2, 
3, 4. 5. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, I, 2, 3, 4, etc., and the package ended 87,658,320, 
the counter could be sure it was full and regular. To guard against 
any possible mistake, however, these packages go through the hands 
of five successive counters before the last of the fifty-two countings 
to which the sheets and notes are subjected is concluded, and the 
notes are ready for issue. Each person to whom the packages are 
temporarily intrusted is obliged to receipt for them, so that their his- 
tory may be traced from the paper mills to the cashier's desk. 

Each package, as it comes from the last counter, contains 4,000 
notes; but, as these may vary from $1 to $1,000 in denomination, the 
value of the package maybe $4,000, $8,000, $20,000, $40,000, $So,ooo, 
$400,000, or $4,000,000. Each package is now wrapped in brown 
paper, sealed with wax impressed with the Treasury seal, and placed 



94 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

in the currency reserve vault of the cashier of the department of 
issue; and the amount receipted for by the keeper of the vault 
(averaging $1,000,000 a day) must correspond each evening exactly 
with the amount received the same morning from the Bureau of 
Engraving and Printing. 

These pretty notes, the representatives of the hard cash stored in 
the vaults, reach the public only through the Cash Room, a large 
apartment on the main floor, walled with a great variety of exquisite 
native and foreign marbles, and provided with a public gallery, whence 
all its operations may be overlooked; but visitors ought to keep very 
quiet. Here tightly bound packages of notes of a single denomina- 
tion, each containing 4,000 bills, are prepared for shipment to the 
sub-treasuries and other financial agents of the Government, or, with 
the loose cash needed, are paid out over the counter. The business 
is that of an ordinary bank, or, rather, of an extraordinary one, for 
checks of enormous value are frequently cashed here — one reaching 
as high as $10,000,000. 

"When the various legal-tender notes (greenbacks, silver certificates, 
treasury notes, or gold certificates) are sent in for redemption, they 
go into the redemption divisio7i, where they are counted and sorted 
into packages — again by the quick fingers of women. These pack- 
ages are then irretrievably mutilated by punches, sliced length- 
wise, and each half is counted separately by other clerks. If all 
proves to be right (an error is quickly traceable), a receipt is given, 
enabling the cashier to give back new notes in exchange for the old 
ones, or reissue to the public, in coin, an amount equal to what has 
been presented that day for redemption. Sometimes the mere frag- 
ments, or soaked or charred remains, of bank notes are sent in, 
but if the evidence of good faith satisfies the chief, and the amoun/ 
can be verified, crisp new notes are sent to the owner in return. 

This opens a door for fraud, which rascals have tried to enter, but 
they have rarely succeeded. In the office of the present United 
States Treasurer, alongside his little receipt to his predecessor 
for $750,000,000, or thereabouts, the amount taken into custody 
by him, may be seen, framed, what purports to be a $500 bill, made 
up of sixteen pieces cut from various parts of sixteen other genuine 
$500 bills which had been sent in and redeemed as "mutilated. " These 
reserved fragments, combined, made a seventeenth bill, which perhaps 
might have been accepted also, had it been less clumsily fabricated. 

Finally, the old bills, punched and cut in two (see above), are sent 
to carefully guarded maceraters — one in the Treasury Building for 
the destruction of the old national bank notes, and another for the 
destruction of United States notes, at the Bureau of Engraving and 



THE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS. 96 

Printing; there they are ground into wet pulp, which is sold to paper 
mills and to the makers of the ugly "souvenirs" offered for sale to 
tourists at various places in the city. 

The relation betweeji the Treasury and the national batiks is 
very close, and employs a considerable part of the Treasurer's force. 
The United States guarantees the notes — the issue of which was 
greatly restricted in 1S79 — of every national bank, and obliges each 
bank to deposit here, as security, Government bonds, equal to gold, 
against which they are permitted to issue their circulating notes to 
the amount of 90 per cent of the par value of such deposited bonds. 
Over $250,000,000 worth of bonds so deposited are still held in a small 
steel room, into which visitors may gaze through a grating; or an 
officer may sometimes admit you within the inclosure, and give you 
the amusement of handling a package worth |4,ooo,ooo. This store 
of reserved wealth is constantly changing in amount, because new 
banks are continually forming, while many of the older banks are 
retiring their currenc}^ which is effected mainly through the Comp- 
troller's office and the National Bank Redemption Agency of the 
Treasurer's office, as the division for the redemption of national bank 
currency is usually styled. To this division banks all over the 
country send packages of bills aggregating $250,000 a day. 

After it has been recorded in the ledgers, it is sorted by a staff of 
counters, mostly women, w^ho place together all the notes of each 
bank, regardless of whence they come. So many of these as are fit 
for use are returned to the banks, while the torn or worn-out cur- 
rency, retained for destruction, is replaced, to the amount due each 
correspondent, by new notes issued in their respective names. This 
office thus becomes a currency clearing-house for the whole country, 
collecting and distributing to each bank of issue its own widely 
scattered notes, which it may then reissue if the bank so chooses, or 
may otherwise permanently retire by returning them here to be 
destroyed, receiving in return an equal amount of its bonds. 

Thus far, we have dealt only with the paper representatives 
of the Government's treasure. The real currency, coined money 
amounting to $200,000,000 or $300,000,000, is stored in the vaults 
underneath. When circumstances favor him, the visitor may be 
shown, if not the coin itself, at any rate the steel cage, 89 feet long, 
57 feet wide, and 12 feet high, under the northeast court, in which is 
kept the silver that "backs up " the silver certificates. Here, at the 
beginning' of 1899, there were stacked up about 150,000,000 coined 
silver dollars in a solid mass weighing 5,000 tons. The total amount 
of money and securities at that time in Uncle Sam's vaults of this 
building was about $800,000,000, nearly one-quarter hard cash. 



96 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

There are two vaults. Number i is entirely filled with silver 
dollars, packed in strong wooden boxes holding |2,ooo each, and in 
bags of $i,ooo each, the latter piled behind the wall of boxes. Upon 
a table may be seen i.ooo silver dollars, the contents of one bag. 
This vault is closed by a six-ton steel sliding door, and through an 
inner grill visitors look at the stored wealth of the "white metal." 
Vault No. 2 usually contains about $50,000,000 of silver dollars and 
fractional coins, and about $3,000,000 in gold coin for use in the 
District of Columbia. The varying gold reserve of the country, 
amounting usually to over $100,000,000, is kept in the vaults of the 
subtreasuries at New York, San Francisco, and elsewhere, where it 
is received from the custom houses and bond-selling agencies, and 
whence it is paid out by the local cashiers. This vault is closed by a 
massive door, fastened with a complicated time-lock; and both the 
vaults and all the passages leading to them are constantly guarded 
by armed and lynx-eyed watchmen. Whenever a change of United 
States Treasurer occurs, the whole contents of these and all other 
vaults and repositories is counted, piece by piece, under the super- 
vision of an impartial committee of thirty- five prominent men, an 
operation that consumes about three months. 

Besides the principal task and responsibility of looking after the 
revenues and disbursements of the Government, the Treasury 
takes charge of all matters pertaining to navigation and the mer- 
chant marine, and hence has under its jurisdiction such apparently 
anomalous bureaus as the Coast Survey, the lighthouse and life- 
saving service, the revenue-cutter service and marine hospitals, 
the inspection of steam vessels, and the Fish Commission (p. 119). 
Not much in any of these offices attracts the sight-seer. The Life- 
Saving Service has a series of models and specimens of the appara- 
tus used in saving the lives of shipwrecked marines, which can usually 
be seen; in the office of the supervising architect are many "highly 
executed drawings of elevations and plans of the public buildings 
erected by the United States, interesting to architects and civil 
engineers "; the Department library has 20,000 volumes, and is open 
to visitors ; and, lastly, a proper introduction will enable the visitor 
who is curious in criminal matters to inspect the rogues' gallery and 
police museum of the Secret Service, which deals with counterfeiters, 
smugglers, "moonshiners" or distillers of illegal spirits, etc. Inci- 
dentally, it may be remarked that, although in this wonderful treasure- 
house money and securities seem to be handled like merchandise, " a 
most careful supervision is maintained over all the employes while 
on duty, and at night a force of sixty watchmen, most of them 
veteran soldiers, patrol every part of the building." 



THE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS. 97 

The Department of Justice and the Court of Claims, which 
attend to suits against the Government, and give legal advice to its 
officers, share the brownstone office building on Pennsylvania Ave- 
nue, across the street from the Treasury. The portraits of his prede- 
cessors in the Attorney-General's room are all that would be likely 
to attract a stranger there, unless he were a lawyer interested in 
the library and the public sessions of the Court of Claims. 

The Departments of the Interior and of the Post Office occupy 
several buildings on F Street and elsewhere, the principal two of 
which are on Seventh Street between G and E streets. As the 
ranking officer is the Postmaster-General, let us first look at 

The General Post Office. An irregular and scanty but author- 
ized postal system was organized in the American colonies as early 
as 1692 by patent to Thomas Neale. This expired in 1710, when the 
English postal system was extended to the colonies, and it slowly 
grew until, in 1753, Benjamin Franklin was appointed Deputy Post- 
master-General for the Colonies. The Revolution overthrew the 
royal mail, but when peace came the Continental Congress established 
a new system, and put Franklin again in charge of the first United 
States mails. Postage stamps were not adopted by the Government 
until 1847, and until lately were printed by private contractors, but 
are now made at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. 

The first building for this department was burned in 1S36. The 
present one covers its site, and has been extended to include the 
whole square on Seventh Street between E and F streets, back to 
Eighth Street — 300 by 204 feet. The style is a modified Corinthian, 
designed by Robert Mills and carried out and extended by Walter, 
who was so long supervising architect of the Treasury. Did it stand 
out where it could be properly surveyed, it would be regarded as 
one of the most beautiful of the public edifices. It was not wholly 
completed until 1855, and then had cost about $2,000,000. The center 
of the Eighth Street front has an interesting carving representing 
the railroad and the telegraph. 

The Dead Letter Office is the only show-part of this hive of 
workers, though nearly every detail of the daily business would 
interest visitors. This office is on the F Street front, and signs in 
the halls direct one to go up-stairs to the visitors' gallery. Here there 
is first to be seen a museum of the astounding variety of things 
daily intrusted to the mails, all gathered from parcels that never 
reached their destination. It would be difficult to think of any class 
of objects, natural or artificial, which is not represented here, and 
some of the things are both intrinsically valuable and curious. The 



98 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

gallery beyond looks down upon the crowded room where those 
clerks sit who examine and dispose of the "dead" mail sent 
here from post offices all over the country. 

Six or seven million pieces of lost mail are handled here annually. 
Every letter, newspaper, or parcel is opened by the clerks, and the 
feverish rapidity with which they make their examinations is 
fascinating. If any address or clue to ownership is found by which 
the letter or other article can be returned to the sender or to the 
addressee, this is at once done; if not, those which contain anything 
of value are recorded and laid aside for six months, after which time 
they are sold at auction as unclaimed, and the money turned into the 
Treasury. 

This building will soon be abandoned by the Post Office Depart- 
ment, and will revert to the Interior Department, probably for the 
use of the Land Office. 

The Department of the Interior, whose building is popularly 
known as the Patent Office, manages internal or domestic affairs — 
the relations of our own people with the Government. Hence the 
Secretary of the Interior is charged with the supervision of public 
business relating to patents for inventions, pensions and bounty 
lands, the public lands and surveys, the Indians, education, railroads, 
the geological survey, the census, the National parks, reservations, 
and various of the public institutions, and has certain power and 
duties in relation to the Territories. In fact, the department was 
organized (in 1849) o^t of the overflow, as it were, of other depart- 
ments. There was sent to it the Patent Office and Census from the 
Department of State, the[]General Land Office from the Treasury, 
Indian Affairs from the War Department, and the Pension Office 
from under the control of the War and Navy departments. It is 
therefore the most extensive as well as miscellaneous department, 
but its offices offer little to interest the casual sight-seer. He will 
wish, however, to visit one or two. 

The Secretary and his assistants * have their offices in the great 

*The First Assistant Sea-etaiy of the Inte?-ior considers certain appeals 
from the Commissioner of the General Land Office; examines charges against 
officials and employes; instructs mine inspectors; supervises matters pertaining 
to the Indians, to the distribution of certain public documents, to the Govern- 
ment's charitable and correctional institutions in the District of Columbia, to 
the National parks and to colleges aided by the Government; and acts as Secre- 
tary in the absence of that officer. T/ie Assistant Secretary of the Interior has 
general supervision of the business of the boards of pension appeals; counter- 
signs letters patent; examines official bonds and contracts; has the admission 
and disbarment from practice of attorneys and agents, and acts as Secretary in 
the absence of both that officer and the First Assistant Secretary. The Assistant 
Attorney-General is the chief laiv officer of this department. All appeals from the 
General Land Office are sent to his office for consideration. Oral arguments are 
heard by him in the more important cases, or by brief; and decisions are pre- 
pared under his supervision. 



THE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS. 99 

Doric-Greek building covering the two squares reaching from Seventh 
to Ninth streets between F and G, which everybody calls the 
Patent Office, because designed for and mainly occupied by that 
bureau. The first law granting patents was passed in 1790, and 
until I S03 the power was vested in the State Department. In iSio 
Congress purchased Blodgett's "great" hotel — a big incomplete 
brick building at the southwest corner, now covered by the General 
Post Office— for the accommodation of the Commissioner of Patents, 
and were obliged to enlarge it in 1S32. 

"July 4, 1836, Congress passed the most important law in the 
history of patents, reorganizing the entire American system of grants 
providing for an examination into the novelty and usefulness of 
inventions, and appropriated $ioS,ooo of the money then standing to 
the credit of inventors, for the purpose of constructing a building for 
the exclusive use of the Patent Office. The original plans were 
made by William P. Elliott, formerly a draftsman m the office, for 
which he was paid $300. Robert Wills, the architect of the Treasury 
Department, was the constructing engineer. The seconci story was 
desifnied as a vast museum or ' National Gallery ' for the display of 
models . . and the collection then in the possession of the Gov- 

ernment was the most interesting in the world. The original plans 
contemplated the building to be a Grecian-Doric structure, covering 
a public reservation of four acres which L' Enfant, the French 
engineer who planned the Federal capital, set apart for a ' national 
church '" The imposing portico on the south wing (F Street front) 
was to be of magniticent proportions, and in designing the graceful 
columns at that entrance, the celebrated Parthenon at Athens was 
followed and the precise dimensions used. . . . Before any part 
of the building, however, was ready for occupancy, everything belong- 
ing to the Patent Office was, on the night of December 15, 1S36, wiped 
oiit of existence by fire. There were destroyed 7,000 models, 168 
volumes of records, 9.000 drawings, 10,000 original descriptions and 
specifications, 230 volumes belonging to the Scientihc Library, 
and . a volume of inestimable historical interest, containing 

drawings made by the inventor and engineer, Robert Fulton, illus- 
trating the machinery for making steam subservient to man's direction 
for purposes of navigation, and containing representations ot his 
steamboat as she passed through the Highlands, when, in August, 
1S07, the successful trip up the Hudson to Albany was made. • • • 
After this fire the office found a temporary home at the residence ot 
the commissioner, where the business was transacted until accommo- 
dations were offered by the city authorities m the city hall. Steps 
were taken at once to restore the records and models. Each patentee 
was personally addressed through the post office, and owing to the 
restriction enacted by Congress that no patent granted before the fire 
could be given in evidence without being first recorded anew the 
return of the most important was secured.— Helen F. Shedu, L/uiu- 
tauqucm. May i, 1892. 1 -/ . 



100 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

The south wing of the building, of Virginia freestone and granite, 
270 feet in length, was completed in the spring of 1840, at a cost of 
$422,000. The Patent Office staff then took possession, but set apart 
a room in the basement for a special exhibition of agricultural inven- 
tions, the seeds sent home from abroad, etc. To this were presently 
added the bequests and various curiosities collected by the ' ' National 
Institute," and the great amount of valuable material brought home 
by the Wilkes and other exploring expeditions, which formed the 
nucleus of the National Museum and were taken, later, to the Smith- 
sonian Institution. These overflowed into the upper parts of the 
building, and everybody was crowded. In 1849, therefore. Congress 
appropriated $50,000 out of the patent fund as a starter, and three 
years later the east wing had been completed, built of Maryland 
marble, at a cost of $600,000, nearly half of which was taken from 
the earnings of the office. The west (Ninth Street) wing was next 
built of Maryland marble, between 1852 and 1856, at a cost of 
$750,000, and taken possession of by the General Land Office. In 
the same year the north granite wing was begun, and was completed 
in 1867 at a cost of $575,000. The total cost of the building was 
$2,347,011.65. It forms a hollow square, and is the most classical 
and beautiful domicile occupied by any executive department, but, 
unfortunately, it is so hemmed in that it can not well be seen. 

The Hall of Models is still a spacious room on the main floor, 
but the removal of the historical relics to the National Museum (p. 113) 
and the fire of 1877, which destroyed 87,000 models and some 600,000 
drawings, etc. , have left little worth looking at. The office has 
issued thus far about 550,000 patents, and its earnings have been 
far in excess of the cost of buildings and all expenses since its origin. 

The General Laiid Office, which is charged with the survey, man- 
agement, and sale of the public domain, has quarters in this building, 
and the Eleventh Ce7tsus occupied offices across the way (512 Ninth 
Street), contiected with it by a bridge. The Indian Bureau, which 
has charge of all the Indians, reservations, schools, etc., resides in the 
top of the Atlantic Building on the south side of F Street, between 
Ninth and Tenth streets ; and the office of the Commissioner of 
Education is near by, at the northeast corner of Eighth and G 
Streets, where an extensive library of pedagogy is open to, the 
inspection of teachers. The Geological Survey has fine offices in 
the Hooe Building, 1330 F Street. More or less affiliated with it is 
an advisory committee called the Board on Geographic Names, 



THE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS. 101 

authorized by Congress to consider and decide as to the proper form 
and spelling of all geographic terms, in order to make a uniform 
usage on the maps and charts and in the publications of the Govern- 
ment. The practical effect is to correct the usage of the whole 
country in this particular, by means of this board's occasional publi- 
cations which careful editors and writers follow. The only remain- 
ing and the most costly branch of the Interior Department is 

The Pension Bureau. This occupies an immense red brick build 
ing, 400 by 200 feet in dimensions and four stories high, standing 
in Judiciary Square, on G street, between Fourth and Fifth, and 
looking like a cotton factory without and a prison within. It has 
two gable roofs set crosswise and largely composed of glass, lighting 
the vast interior court. The structure is said to be fire-proof — a 
statement which caused General Sheridan to exclaim, "What a 
pity ! " A band of terra cotta, forming an ornamental frieze around 
the exterior of the building, just above the first story windows, 
portrays a procession of spirited marching figures of soldiers of 
the late war — horse, foot, and dragoons. This is the only artistic 
thing about the building, and is worthy of a better setting. The 
offices, however, are more commodious and comfortable than many in 
more ornate edifices, and open upon tiers of galleries that surround 
all sides of a great tiled court. This court is broken by two cross- 
rows of colossal columns and lofty arches sustaining the central part 
of the roof and painted in imitation of Sienna marble, while the lower 
gallery rests upon a colonnade of iron pillars, speckled counterfeits of 
Tennessee marble. The floor of the court is well filled with cases of 
drawers containing the papers of applicants for pensions, or an in- 
crease, so tidily arranged that the file of each man can be referred to 
without delay. It is very helpful, however, to know the registry 
number of the case, which is borne by every paper pertaining to it. 
The cases on file exceed a million; about 1,000,000 beneficiaries are 
carried on the rolls, and the outlay of the bureau is now about 
$145,000,000 a year. Over 1,800 persons, one-sixth of whom are 
women, are employed here, but room is left for offices for the Rail- 
road Commissioners on the third floor. The United States Peiision 
Agency, where local pensioners are paid, is at No. 308 F Street. 

The spacious covered court of this building has been used on the 
last three occasions for the giving of the inaugural ball, which cus- 
tom decrees shall take place on the evening of the day each new 
President is ushered into office. In the early days, when the minuet, 
stiff brocades, and powdered hair were still fashionable, these were 



102 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

affairs as elegant and enjoyable as they were select and stately; but 
latterly the number of officials and their families properly entitled 
to attend such a semi-official function has become so great, and the 
crowd who are able to buy tickets is so much greater, that no system 
of restriction thus far devised has been successful in keeping this 
ball down to a manageable size. It is said that 17,000 persons were 
crushed into the court of the Pension Office Building at the inaugural 
ball of March 4, 1885, and the crowds since have prevented any 
dancing or other real enjoyment of the festivities, which resulted 
only in injury to health, costly toilets, and the building. Hereafter 
these balls, if continued, will probably be held in the great " Conven- 
tion Hall" over the new market at New York Avenue and Fifth 
Street, which has been built for the accommodation of the large 
social, religious, and professional assemblages that more and more 
choose the capital as a periodical meeting place. 

Certain other branches of the Government, not under depart- 
ment control but responsible directly to Congress, may be briefly 
spoken of here. 

The Smithso7iian Institution is the most important of these, 
and is elsewhere described in detail (p. 113). 

The Goverjiment Prijiting Office, whose chief is styled "the 
Public Printer," is the place where the Congressiotial Record, or 
report of the daily proceedings of Congress, is printed; also all the 
public and private bills and documents for Congress, the yearly 
departmental reports, and the enormous mass of miscellaneous ptib- 
lications of the Government. It is located on North Capitol and H 
streets, 2,900 persons are employed during the congressional session 
and about 2,700 at other periods, and it is said to be the largest print- 
ing office in the world. The yearly cost approaches $3,500,000. 

Everything connected with the making of books can be done 
there, and the highest degree of excellence in printing and binding 
is reached whenever it is called for. It is run under very systematic 
methods. No work is done by the piece, and the average wage of 
employes is $3.20 a day. The electrotyping division of the office 
is the finest in this country, every late improvement in machines and 
facilities being quickly adopted, if they are found to be practicable. 
In each one of the executive departments there is a branch of the 
main office, which is used to do all small and confidential work of the 
department. Important serial publications manufactured are the 
Index Catalogue of the library of the Surgeon-General's office, 
U. S. Army, and the official record of the Union and Confederate 
armies and navies in the War of the Rebellion. Other important 
publications are the census reports, the blue book, and the reports 
of the Smithsonian Institution, Geological Survey, and Bureau of 
Ethnology. Much very handsome illustrated work is done. That 
the various publications may be easily accessible to the people the 



FRANK A. BUTTS, HENRY ^, PHILLIPS, 

(Originator and late Chief, Army (LateChief of Middle Division U. S. 

and Navy Survivors' Division, ^ oi» 4 Pension Bureau.) 

U. S. Pension Bureau.) lOOl Late Sergt. Co. D, 47th N.Y. Vet. 

Late Major 47th N. Y. Vet. Vols., 2d ^ o^ f Vols., 2d Brig., 2d Div., 10th A. C. 

Brig., 2d Div., 10th A. C. 1 ODD 



War with Spain ! 

Pensions are provided by Section 12, Act of April 22, 1898, 
for officers and enlisted men of the military and naval 
forces in the Spanish war, disabled in service and line of 
duty; and for the widows, children under 16, and depen- 
dent parents, brothers and sisters under 16, of such as die 
from causes incurred in service and line of duty 

CLAIMS FOR PRIZE MONEY AND EXTRA PAY UNDER ACT OF 
MARCH 3, 1899, A SPECIALTY 

CONSULTATION FREE NO FEE UNLESS SUCCESSFUL 



BUTTS & PHILLIPS 

SOLICITORS OF CLAIMS 



ARMY AND NAVY WAR VETERANS' 

BUREAU OF INFORMATION 

1425 Nev;^ York Ave., Washington, D.C. 
Branch Office : 13 Willoughby St., 
Brooklyn, New York 

T> f ^ c. ) Washington Board of Trade, and 
Keterences : -j traders' National Bank, Washington, D. C. 

You can always depend upon your claims 
being given personal and immediate at- 
tention. 

Ftom the National Tribune, Washington, D. C, Thursday, April 22, 1897 : 

We adopt a somewhat unusual course in calling attention to the announce- 
ment of Messrs. Butts & Phillips, which reappears in another column of this 
issue. Not only have they been successful as practitioners, but their personal 
war record gives an additional interest to their career. The fact that they are 
both veterans naturally had a bearing upon the success they have achieved pro- 
fessionally in the special line of practice to which they have devoted their 
efforts. Both members of the firm have had the advantage of long service in 
responsible positions In the Pension Bureau. 

Major Butts organized and managed the Army and Navy Survivors' Division, 
which has been officially described as having enabled over 60,000 claimants to 
prove their cases before the Bureau who otherwise would have failed, for lack 
of evidence. 

Send for our special blank for record of 
military or naval service to be left with 
your family for future reference. Address 

BUTTS & PHILLIPS 

1425 NEW YORK AVENUE 

Lenman Building, Washington, D.C. 



THE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS, 103 

Public Printer issues monthly a catalogue of books that have been 
finished during the month, giving the price of each. It is estimated 
that an edition of 10,000 copies of a 2,000-page book can be pro- 
duced by the office in eight hours — type set, proof read, made up 
mto pages, printed, folded, gathered, and covered. Visitors received 
at 10.00 A. M. and 2.00 p. m. 

The Department of Labor, controlled by a commissioner, collects 
and publishes useful information on subjects connected with labor, 
promoting the material, social, intellectual, and moral prosperity 
of men and women who live by their daily earnings. It publishes an 
annual report, largely statistical. The office is in the National Safe 
Deposit Building at New York Avenue and Fifteenth Street. 

The Civil Service Coimnission makes and supervises all regula- 
tions and examinations respecting applicants for employment in the 
Government service in those classes under the civil service law. 
It has offices in the Concordia Building, Eighth and E streets. 

The service classified under the act embraces about 54,000 places, 
including the executive departments at Washington; the Depart- 
ment of Labor; the Civil Service Commission; the Fish Commission; 
thirty-three customs districts, in each of which there are twenty or 
more employes ; 609 free-delivery post offices and the Railway Mail 
Service; the Indian School Service; the Weather Bureau- the Internal 
Revenue Service, and the Government Printing Office. 

The Inter-State Commerce Commission (Sun Building, No. 131 7 F 
Street) examines into the management of the business of all common 
carriers subject to the act of February 4, 1887, and has power and 
jurisdiction generally over Inter-State traffic. The I}iter-Contine?ttal 
Railway Coinmission has its office at No. 1429 New York Avenue. 

A Joint Co7nmission of Congress to examine into the status of 
laws organizing the executive departments, and the Bureau of 
America7i Republics, whose purpose it is to promote trade, intelli- 
gence, and comity among all the American republics, have offices at 
No. 2 Jackson Place, at the southwest corner of Lafayette Square. 

The Free Public Library has made a beginning at No. 1326 New 
York Avenue, pending the erection of the building in Mt. Vernon 
Square, to be given to the city for its accommodation by Andrew 
Carnegie. 



VIII. 

FROM THE MONUMENT TO THE 
MUSEUMS. 



The Wasliing^toii Monument. 

The dignity, symmetry, and towering height of Washington's 
character, as it now presents itself to the minds of his countrymen, 
are well exemplified in the majestic simplicity of his monument in 
Washington. This pure and glittering shaft, asking no aid from 
inscription or ornament, strikes up into heaven and leads the thought 
to a patriotism as spotless and a manhood as lofty as any American 
has attained to. It is the glory and grandeur of this superb monu- 
ment that it typifies and recalls not Washington the man, but Wash- 
ington the character. It is really a monument to the American 
people in the name of their foremost representative. It is in 
itself a constantly beautiful object, intensified, unconsciously to the 
beholder, perhaps, by the symbolism and sentiment it involves. With 
every varying mood of the changing air and sky, or time of day, it 
assumes some new phase of interest to the eye. Now it is clear and 
firm against the blue — hard, sharp-edged, cold, near at hand; anon 
it withdraws and softens and seems to tremble in a lambent envel- 
ope of azure ether, or to swim in a golden mist as its shadow, like 
that of a mighty dial, marks the approach of sunset upon the green- 
sward that rolls eastward from its base. The most picturesque 
view of it, doubtless, is that from the east, where you may "com- 
pose " it in the distance of a picture, for which the trees and shrub- 
bery, winding roads and Norman towers, of the Smithsonian park 
form the most artistic of foregrounds. 

This monument is the realization of a popular movement for a 
national memorial to Washington which began before his death, so 

(104) 




THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT. 



FROM THE MONUMENT TO THE MUSEUMS. 105 

that he was enabled to indicate his own preference for this site, and 
was expressed in a congressional resolution in 1799, which contem- 
plated an equestrian statue. The death of Washington revived the 
matter, and a bill appropriating $150,000 for a mausoleum passed 
both houses, but was mislaid and not signed at the close of the 
session. The next Congress was made up of Washington's political 
opponents, and his monument was no more heard of until an associa- 
tion was formed, headed by the President of the United States 
ex-officio, which undertook to retrieve what it considered a national 
disgrace, and raised a large sum of money for the purpose. This 
site was obtained, the corner-stone was laid with impressive cere- 
monies on the 4th of July, 1S48, and the work progressed until the 
shaft had reached a height of 150 feet, when the funds gave out. 
The coming of the Civil War turned men's attention elsewhere, and 
it was only revived by the wave of patriotism developed by the 
Centennial year, under the influence of which Congress agreed to 
finish the shaft. To Gen. T. L. Casey, Chief of Engineers, U. S. A., 
was intrusted the task of enlarging and strengthening the founda- 
tions — a most difficult piece of engineering which he accomplished with 
consummate skill. These foundations are described as constructed 
of a mass of solid blue rock, 146 feet square. "The base of the 
shaft is 55 feet square, and the lower walls are 15 feet thick. At the 
five-hundred feet elevation, where the pyramidal top begins, the 
walls are only 18 inches thick and about 35 feet square. The inside 
of the walls, as far as they were constructed before the work was 
undertaken by the Government in 1878 — 150 feet from the base— is 
of blue granite, not laid in courses. From this point to within a 
short distance of the beginning of the top or roof, the inside of the 
walls is of regular courses of granite, corresponding with the courses 
of marble on the outside. For the top marble is entirely used. The 
marble blocks were cut or 'dressed' in the most careful manner, and 
laid in courses of two feet by experienced and skillful workmen. 
There is no 'filling' or 'backing' between the granite and marble 
blocks, but they are all closely joined, the work being declared 'the 
best piece of masonry in the world.' By a plumb-line suspended 
from the top of the monument inside, not three-eighths of an inch 
deflection has been noticed. . . The keystone that binds the 
interior ribs of stone that support the marble facing of the pyramidal 
cap of the monument, weighs nearly five tons. It is 4 feet 6 
inches high, and 3 feet 6 inches square at the top. . . . On 
the 6th day of December, 1884, the capstone, which completed the 
shaft, was set. The capstone is 5 feet 21^ inches in height, and 
its base is somewhat more than 3 feet square. At its cap, or peak, it 
is five inches in diametei . On the cap was placed a tip or point of 
aluminum, a composition metal which resembles polished silver, 
and which was selected because of its lightness and freedom from 
oxidation, and because it will always remain bright." 

The original design, prepared 'by Robert Mills, contemplated a 
shaft of 600 feet in height, rising from a colonnaded circular 
memorial hall, which was to contain statues of the nation's worthies 



luo Handy guide to Washington. 

and paintings of great scenes in its history, "while the crypt beneath 
would serve as a burial place for those whom the people should 
especially honor." This plan has been definitely abandoned. 

The monument is open to visitors from 9.00 a. m. to 6.00 p. m. in the 
summer, and 5.30 p. m. in winter, with an intermission of an hour at 
noon. A staircase of 900 steps winds its way to the top, around an 
interior shaft of iron pillars, in which the elevator runs ; few people 
walk up, but many descend that way, in order to examine more 
carefully the inscribed memorial blocks which are let into the interior 
wall at various places. Within the shaft formed by the interior iron 
framework runs an elevator, making a trip every half hour, and 
carrying, if need be, thirty persons. As thiselevator andits ropes are 
of unusual strength, and were severely tested by use in elevating the 
stone required for the upper courses as the structure progressed, its 
safety need not be suspected. The elevator is lighted by electricity 
and carries a telephone. Seven minutes are required for the 
ascent of 500 feet ; and one can see, as it passes, all the inscriptions 
and carvings sufficiently well to satisfy the curiosity of most persons, 
as none of these memorials have any artistic excellence. Several 
not embedded in the walls are shown in the National Museum. An 
officer in charge of the floor marshals visitors into the elevator, 
and another cares for the observatory floor at the top; but no fees 
are expected. The surrounding grounds form Washington Park. 

The View from the eight small windows, which open through the 
pyramidon, or sloping summit of the obelisk, 517 feet above the 
ground, includes a circle of level country having a radius of from 
fifteen to twenty miles, and southwest extends still farther, for in clear 
weather the Blue Ridge is well defined in that direction. The 
Potomac is in sight from up near Chain Bridge down to far below 
Mount Vernon ; and the w^hole district lies unrolled beneath you 
like a map. To climb the W^ashington Monument is, therefore, an 
excellent method of beginning an intelligent survey of the capital, 
and of " getting one's bearings." 

Looking first toward the 7iorth, the most compact part of the 
city is surveyed. At the very foot of the monument are the artificial 
Carp Ponds, so called because, years ago, the Fisheries Commission 
propagated European carp for distribution there. Beyond, in the 
center-foreground, are the grounds of the Executive Mansion, rising 
in a gentle slope to the White House. On its left stands the State, 
War, and Navy Building ; and to the left of that (and nearer) is the 



FROM THE MONUMENT TO THE MUSEUMS. 107 

marble front of the new Corcoran Art Gallery, on Seventeenth 
Street (p. 146), and beyond that is seen the old Octagon House, 
on a straight line with the Naval Observatory, conspicuous in white 
paint and yellow domes, three miles away amid the green hills 
beyond Georgetown. Nearer the water than any of these is a large 
yellow house among the trees, and beside what looks like a ball-field 
— the Van Ness mansion. 

All that part of Washington was among the earliest to be built 
up, and among the first to fall into disrepute, mainly because of an 
unhealthiness which modern drainage has done away with, so that 
the prejudice is disappearing. That yellow house — the Van Ness 
Majision— wow the field club-house of the Columbia Athletic Club 
(p. 150), was one of the first built in Washington. Close by it stood 
the humble cabin of David Burns — a cantankerous old Scot who 
owned a great many acres there, and would not come to terms with 
the District Commissioners until he was compelled to. He was made 
rich by the growth of the young city, and his only daughter was a 
very pretty girl named Marcia, who was wooed and won by a New 
York Congressman named John P. Van Ness. They married and 
after a while built this fine house, of which Latrobe was the architect, 
and surrounded it by a fine park, where Davie Burns' old cottage 
stood as it always had, and remained until it tumbled down in 1894. 
" In luxuriousness of appointments it had no equal in this country at 
the time it was built. It was the first house in which cold and hot 
water was carried to all the floors. The wine vaults were very 
extensive. It was in them that the conspirators intended to hide 
President Lincoln in 1S65, when it was their purpose to kidnap 
instead of assassinate him. The drawing rooms were adorned with 
mantels of Italian marble by Thorwaldsen. ... In the cottage silk- 
worms were kept for some time, and from their cocoons a bridal 
dress was made for one of the daughters of John Tayloe." Mrs. Van 
Ness became so prominent in later life as a philanthropist that when 
she died she received a public funeral — the first and only woman 
ever so honored in Washington. 

The " Octagon House''' is another old and famous mansion, still 
in good preservation, though empty. It was begun in 1798 by Col. 
John Tayloe, the richest Virginian' of his day (it is said that the gar- 
den still retains traces of " nigger-auction " blocks), and during the 
first quarter of this century the Octagon was " the center of all that 
was most brilliant and refined in unofficial society." The burning of 
the White House, in 18 14, compelled President Madison to seek another 
home until it could be repaired, and he rented this one as his choice 
among several offered to him. " It was worthy of such occupants," 
remarks Mr. Hamlin in Scribner's Magazine for October,Ci893: 
"The circular hall, marble-tiled, was heated by two picturesque 
stoves placed in small recesses in the wall. Another hall, beyond, 
opened into a large and lovely garden surrounded by a high , brick 
wall after the English fashion. To the right was a handsome draw- 



108 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

ing room with a fine mantel still well preserved. To the left was the 
dining room, of equal size and beauty. A circular room over the hall, 
with windows to the floor and a handsome fireplace, was President 
Madison's office. Here, on February i8, 1818, he signed the procla- 
mation of the Treaty of Ghent, formally closing the war with 
England." 

Another old house near there (southeast corner Twenty-first and 
F streets), built in 1802, is memorable as a center of entertainments, 
where every President from the elder Adams to Franklin Pierce has 
been seen. It was the home for half a century of Alfred Pleasanton, 
an official who first became prominent as private secretary to James 
Monroe, when he was Madison's Secretary of State. When the 
British raided Washington and the cabinet fled, Pleasanton stayed 
behind to save what he could of the records of the State Depart- 
ment, and succeeded in sending away twenty-two wagon loads of 
archives, including invaluable treaties, which were stored in a barn 
at Leesburg, Va. , for several weeks. At the last moment he tore from 
their frames, where they hung in Mr. Monroe's office, the original 
Declaration of Independence (p. 88) and Washington's first commis- 
sion. A son of this courageous official, born in this house, was Maj.- 
Gen. Alfred Pleasanton, Jr., one of the most brilliant Union cavalry 
leaders in the Civil war, who died in 1897. 

Connecticut Avenue is the street leading from the White House 
straight northwest to the boundary, where it breaks into the fashion- 
able suburban parks on Meridian Hill, at the left of which are the 
wooded vales of Rock Creek, near which the noble Anglican Cathedral 
is to arise. At the right of the White House is the Treasury, here 
seen to inclose two great courts. The lines of Seventeenth, Sixteenth, 
Fifteenth streets, and of Vermont Avenue, lead the eye across the 
most solid and fashionable northwest quarter of the city to the more 
thinly settled hill-districts, where are conspicuous the square tower of 
the Soldiers' Home (4;^ miles), the lofty buildings of Howard Univer- 
sity, and, farther to the right and more distant, the halls of the Catho- 
lic University. For an account of these streets, see Chapter IX. 

The eastern outlook carries the picture around to the right, and 
embraces the valley of the Anacostia River, or eastern branch of the 
Potomac. Here the conspicuous object is the Capitol, one-and-a-half 
miles distant, whose true proportions and supreme size can now be 
well understood. Over its right wing appears the grand new Con- 
gressional Library, its gilt dome flashing back the rays of the sun, 
and setting it out sharply against the Maryland hills. Between the 
monument and the Capitol stretches the green Mall, with the grounds 
and buildings of the Agricultural Department nearest the observer; 
then the castellated towers of the Smithsonian, the low breadth of the 



FROM THE MONUMENT TO THE MUSEUMS. 109 

National Museum, the red, shapeless pile of the Army Medical 
Museum, and the small Fisheries building, leading the eye as far as 
Sixth Street, beyond which are open parks. Somewhat to the right, 
the course of the Pennsylvania Railroad, out Virginia Avenue, is 
seen as far as Garfield Park, where it disappears under the tunnel. 
This leads the eye to the broad current of the Anacostia, which can 
be overlooked as far up as the Navy Yard, and downward past the 
bridge to Anacostia, to where it joins the Potomac at Greenleaf 's 
Point. The military barracks there (p. 153) can be seen; and this 
side of it, along the harbor branch of the Potomac, are the steamboat 
wharves. 

The view southward is straight down the Potomac, far beyond 
the spires of Alexandria, six miles in an air line, to where it bends 
out of view around Cedar Point. Long Bridge, which has been built 
sixty years or more, is in the immediate foreground, and the railways 
leading to it can be traced. To the right, the eye sweeps over a wide 
area of the red Virginia hills, thickly crowned during the Civil War 
with fortifications, the sites of some of which may be discovered by 
the knowing, and covers the disastrous fields of Manassas off to the 
right on the level blue horizon. 

The western view continues this landscape of Virginia, and 
includes about three miles of the Potomac above Long Bridge. Close 
beneath the eye are the old and scattered houses of the southwest 
quarter, with the Van Ness homestead, and the hill crowned by the 
old Naval Observatory on ground where Washington meant to place 
his national university. Above that the current of the river is 
broken by Analostan, or Mason's Island, opposite the mouth of Rock 
Creek, beyond which are the crowded hilly streets of Georgetown, 
and the Aqueduct bridge, leading to Roslyn, on the southern bank. 
Then come the high banks which narrow and hide the river, and 
bear upon their crest the flashing basin of the distributing reservoir. 
Beyond it, over the city of Georgetown, are the beautiful wooded 
heights about Woodley, where President Cleveland had his summer 
home, and thousands of charming suburban houses are building. On 
the Virginia side of the river, the Arlington mansion appears some- 
what at the left, and three miles distant; more in front, and nearer, 
the National Cemetery embowered in trees; and behind it, the clus- 
tered quarters of Fort Myer (p. 159)- The distance is a rolling, semi- 
wooded country, thickly sown with farms, hamlets, and villages, 
among which Fall's Church is alone conspicuous, and fading away 



110 HA ND Y G UIDE TO WA SHING TON. 

to a high level horizon; but when the air is clear, the eye can see and 
rejoice in the faint but distinct outlines of the turquoise-tinted Blue 
Ridge, far away in the southwest. 

Some Scientific Departments. 

The public institutions along the south side of The Mall, dealing in 
a large part of the scientific work of the nation, contain more to interest 
the stranger in Washington than any other, except the Capitol itself. 
They include the Washington Monument, and there are good 
reasons for advising that the ascent of this should be the very first 
thing done by the visitor; the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, the 
Department of Agriculture, the National and Army Medical museums 
in the Smithsonian grounds, and the Fisheries Commission. It is a 
long day's task to make a satisfactory tour of these buildings; and the 
National Museum alone has material for unlimited time and study in 
many paths of knowledge. Let us begin with 

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing. — This is the name given 
to the Government's factory for designing, engraving, and printing 
its bonds, certificates, checks, notes, revenue and postage stamps, and 
many other of]ficial pajDcrs. It is under control of the Treasury 
Department, and occupies a handsome brick building on Fourteenth 
Street, S. W., within five minutes' walk of the Washington Monu- 
ment. This is three stories high, 220 feet long by 135 feet wide, and 
was built in 1878 at a cost of $300,000. Visitors are received from ten 
to two o'clock, and wait in the reception room imtil an attendant (several 
women are assigned to this duty) is ready to conduct a party over 
the building, which is simply a crowded factory of high-class tech- 
nical work, the products of which have received the highest encomi- 
ums at several world's fairs in Europe as well as in America. 

All of the engraving is done upon steel, the surface of which is 
soft enough to yield readily to the artist's graver. The engraved 
plate is then hardened, laid in a press, and a cylinder of soft steel is 
rolled across it, under sufficient pressure to indent its surface with an 
exact (reversed) duplicate of the original engraving. This cylinder 
(examples of which are exhibited) is now itself hardened, and then 
rolled, under great pressure, over a flat plate of soft steel, which in 
turn receives an imprint of the engraved surface of the roller.^ This 
last plate, which is, of course, an exact reproduction of the original 
engraving, is then hardened and used to print from, while the 
original engraving is stored away in the vault. All of the engraving 
is done by hand, except the designs of intricate circles and curving 
endless lines, known as engine-turning, which adorns the borders of 



FROM THE MONUMENT TO THE MUSEUMS. Ill 

bonds, and the faces of notes, etc., and which quite defies imitation. 
This is the work of an expensive and complicated machine. 

" The printing division," to quote Evans, who alludes to the mak- 
ing of notes — paper money — "occupies the third floor and employs 
about five hundred persons. Six hundred printed sheets is the daily 
task allotted to each pressman, and as all imperfect sheets are 
rejected by the examiners and a record made of the number and 
pressman, much defective work will result in a speedy dismissal from 
the service. Steam power is not used for the presses, as it is found 
that the delicate nature of the work and the care required to obtain 
perfect impressions requires hand labor. Each pressman has a 
woman to assist him, her work being to place the sheet on the press 
and remove it when printed. After each impression the plate must 
be carefully cleaned and polished with whiting, then inked, and 
wiped to remove the superfluous ink. As the hand is the best 
medium that can be used for wiping the plate, the necessity of a 
clean-handed assistant to handle the paper is obvious. When they 
have receiv^ed the first impression the sheets are carefully dried, and 
after some days are given to another set of pressmen, who print the 
other side. No one person is allowed to attend to more than one 
operation. . . . The workmen are separated from the public by a high 
wire screen, and are under the constant surveillance of watchmen 
stationed in all the rooms. Finally, before anyone leaves the build- 
ing at the close of work, every printed sheet and piece of paper, and 
every plate and die must be accounted for." About 1,400 employes. 

Just east of this bureau, occupying large grounds between Four- 
teenth and Twelfth streets, S. W., and reached from Pennsylvania 
Avenue by street-cars on both those streets, and from the Capitol by 
the Belt Line along Maryland Avenue and B Street, S. W., is the 
headquarters of 

The Department of Agriculture.— This popular department grew 
out of the special interest which early patent commissioners took in 
agricultural machinery, improvements, and the collection and distri- 
bution of seeds — a function that formed a large part of its work 
until 1895. It was gradually separated from the Patent Office work, 
erected into a commissionership, and finally (1SS9) was given the 
rank of an executive department, the Secretary of Agriculture being 
the last-added cabinet officer. His office is in the fine building west 
of the Smithsonian grounds, and he has the help of an assistant sec- 
retary, to whom has been assigned the direction of the great amount 
of scientific work done, including the experiment stations and the 
studies of fibers, irrigation, and the department museum. 

The scope of the work is now very extended, including the study 
of diseases of live stock, and the control of the inspection of import 
and export animals, cattle transportation, and meat ; a bureau of 



112 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

statistics of crops, livestock, etc., at home and abroad; scientific 
investigations in forestry, botany, fruit culture, cultivation of textile 
plants, and diseases of trees, grains, vegetables, and plants ; studies 
of the injurious or beneficial relations to agriculture of insects, birds, 
and wild quadrupeds ; investigations as to roads and methods of 
irrigation ; chemical and microscopical laboratories, and a great num- 
ber of experiment stations, correspondents, and observers in various 
parts of this and other countries. The results of all these investiga- 
tions and experiments are liberally published, and in spite of a sneer 
now and then the people are satisfied that the $3,300,000 or so expend- 
ed annually by this department is a wise and profitable outlay. 

There is a iniiseiim in the building exhibiting excellent wax models 
of fruits, nuts, and natural foods of various kinds; and an especially 
full and interesting display of models showing the damage wrought 
by many kinds of insects injurious to trees and plants; also an 
attractive and instructive exhibit comprising a number of groups of 
mounted birds, ground-squirrels, gophers, and other mammals, in 
natural surroundings, each representing a chapter in the life history 
of the animal and showing its relation to agriculture. These were 
exhibited at the World's Columbian Exposition, at Chicago, in 
1893, and excited admiration. The library and herbarium will 
interest botanists. The ordinary visitor, however, will prefer to 
remain out of doors, where years ago the care of Mr. Saunders made 
these grounds the best cultivated part of The Mall, and a practical 
example of ornamental gardening. The extensive greeiihouses 
must also be visited; all are open at all reasonable hours and the 
palm-house is a particularly delightful place in a stormy winter's day. 
A tower in the garden, composed of slabs with their foot-thick bark 
from one of the giant trees (sequoia; of California, should not be 
neglected, for it represents the exact size of the huge tree, "Gen- 
eral Noble," from which the pieces were cut. 

One important branch of the department — namely, the Weather 
Bureau — is domiciled at the corner of M and Twenty-fourth streets. 
There may be seen the delicate instruments by which the changes of 
meteorological conditions are recorded, and the method of forecasting 
the weather for the ensuing forty-eight hours, which is based upon 
reports of local conditions telegraphed each night and morning from 
the observers in all parts of North America, whereupon orders to 
display appropriate signals are telegraphed to each ofhce. 

The system grew up from the experiments of Gen. A. G. Myer, 




8 



FROM THE MONUMENT TO THE MUSEUMS. 113 

Chief Signal-Officer, U. S. A. (p. 159), who invented the present sys- 
tem and conducted it under the authority of Congress (1870) as a part 
of the signal service of the army. Generals Hazen and A. W. Gree- 
ly, of Arctic fame, succeeded him and perfected the service, but in 
1 89 1 it was transferred to the Department of Agriculture and placed 
in charge of a civilian "chief " appointed by the President. In addi- 
tion to the forecasting of storms, etc., the bureau has in hand the 
gauging and reporting of rivers; the maintenance and operation of 
seacoast telegraph lines, and the collection and transmission of marine 
intelligence for the benefit of commerce and navigation; the reporting 
of temperature and rainfall conditions for the cotton interests, and a 
large amount of scientific study in respect to meteorology. 

The Smithsonian Institution and National Museum are reached 
by crossing Twelfth Street, S. W., and entering the spacious park. 
Near the gate stands a life-like statue of Joseph Henry, the first 
secretary of the Institution. It is of bronze, after a model by W. W. 
Story, and was erected by the regents in 1S84. 

The Smithsonian Institntwft was constituted by an act of Con- 
gress to administer the bequest of his fortune made to the United 
States by James Smithson. a younger son of the English Duke of 
Northumberland, and a man of science, who died in 1829. In 1838 
the legacy became available and was brought over in gold sover- 
eigns, which were recoined into American monej', 3'ielding $508,- 
318.46. The language of this bequest was : 

I bequeath the whole of my property to the United States of America to 
found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an estab- 
lishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men. 

The acceptance of this trust is the only action of the kind ever 
taken by the nation, and the institution stands in a peculiar relation 
to the Government. It is composed of the President of the United 
States and the members of his cabinet, ex-officio, a chancellor who is 
elected, and a secretary, Avho is the active administrator of its affairs. 
The business of the institution is managed by a board of regents, 
composed of the Vice-President and the Chief Justice of the United 
States, three Senators, three members of the House of Representa- 
tives, and six other eminent persons nominated by a joint resolution 
of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The immediate and 
primary object of the Smithsonian Institution, as above constituted, 
is to administer the fund, which has now increased to nearly 
$1,000,000, and in doing so it promotes the object of its founder thus: 

(i) In the increase of knowledge by original investigation and 
study, either in science or literature. (2) In the diffusion of this 
knowledge by publication everywhere, and especially by promoting 
an interchange of thought among those prominent in learning among 
all nations, through its correspondents. These embrace institutions 
or societies conspicuous in art, science, or literature throughout the 
w^orld. Its publications are in three principal issues, namely • The 



114 HA ND Y G UIDE TO WA SHING TOM. 

"Contributions to Knowledge," the "Miscellaneous Collections," 
and the "Annual Report." Numerous works are published annually 
by it, under one of these forms, and distributed to its principal cor- 
respondents. 

The original funds deposited in the United States Treasury at 6 
per cent interest have been increased by later bequests. One such 
constitutes "The Hodgkins fund," and which is given for the especial 
purpose of ' ' The increase and diffusion of more exact knowledge in 
regard to the nature and properties of atmospheric air in connection 
with the welfare of man " ; this fund is also deposited in the Treasur}- 
of the United States. Other donations have been received and are 
administered for other specific purposes, the latest being a legacy 
from the late R. S. Avery of Washington, for special investigations 
in magnetism and electricity. 

There was early begun a system of international exchanges of 
correspondence and publications, which forms a sort of clearing- 
house for the scientific world in its dealings with Americans ; and 
there is no civilized country or people on the globe where the institu- 
tion is not represented by its correspondents, who now number about 
24,000. The immediate benefit to the institution itself has been 
in enabling it to build up a great scientific library, now numbering 
300,000 titles and mainly deposited in the Library of Congress. 

The Smithsonian Btdlding, of Seneca brownstone, was planned 
by James Renwick, the architect whose best known work, perhaps, 
is St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. It was completed in 1855. 
' ' Features selected from the Gothic and Romanesque styles are com- 
bined in its architecture, but its exterior, owing chiefly to the irregu- 
lar sky line, is very picturesque and pleasing." For the purposes of 
exhibition of specimens and laboratory work, however, the building 
is badly lighted, wasteful of space, and otherwise unsuitable. The 
eastern wing was for many years the home of Prof, Joseph Henry, 
the first secretary; but is now devoted to the offices of administration. 

The Smithsonian Institution has under its charge, but not at the 
expense of its own funds, certain bureaus which are sustained by 
annual appropriations. These are: The United States National 
Museum, the Bureau of International Exchanges, the Bureau of 
Ethnology, the National Zoological Park (p. 165), and the Astrophysi- 
cal Observatory. Of the National Museum and the Zoological Park, 
more extended notice will be found elsewhere. The Bureau of 
Ethnology is a branch of the work, under the direction of Maj. J. W. 
Powell, which studies the ethnology, history, languages, and customs 
of the American Indians, and publishes the results in annual reports 
and occasional bulletins. It has been the means of collecting a vast 
amount of important and interesting material illustrative of the 



FROM THE MONUMENT TO THE MUSEUMS. 115 

primitive natives of tliis eontinent ; and all this is deposited in the 
National Museum. The offices of this bureau are at 1330 F Street. 

The Astrop/iysicai Observatory dates from 1891, and is under 
the personal direction of Prof. S. P. Langley, now the secretary of 
the Smithsonian Institution. Its purpose is to study how the heaven- 
ly bodies, and mainly the sun, affect the earth and man's wants on 
it; "how the sun's heat is distributed, and how, in fact, it affects 
not only the seasons and the farmers' crops but the whole system of 
living things on the earth," as unquestionably it does to a notable 
degree. This is the science of astrophysics; and its principal instru- 
ment thus far has been the spectroscope. 

The Natiojial Museiun. — In no single respect, perhaps, has the 
progress of the American capital been more striking than in the 
history of the National Museum. Originating in a quantity of 
"curiosities" which had been given to the United States by foreign 
powers, or sent home by consuls and naval officers, old visitors 
to Washington remember it as a heterogeneous cabinet in the Patent 
Office (p. 99). In 1S46 a step was taken toward something coherent 
and creditable, by an act of Congress establishing a National ]\Iuse- 
um, following the precedent of a dozen or more other nations ; but 
this intention took effect very slowly, though various exploring 
expeditions and embassies largely increased the bulk of the collec- 
tions, which, by and by, were trundled over to the Smithsonian 
building. 

The name National Museum, however, was rarely heard. Every- 
thing was addressed to the Smithsonian, and in popular parlance 
the collectors and naturalists were all " Smithsonian men." They 
went westward and northward and southward, and came back with 
carloads of Indian relics and modern implements of savagery, skins, 
shells, insects, minerals, fossils, skeletons, alcoholic preparations, 
herbaria', and note books — the last crammed with novel information. 
It was natural, therefore, that the Smithsonian regents should be 
made custodians of the national collections, and that the appropria- 
tions annually made by Congress for the support of the museum 
should be administered by them. Prof. Spencer F. Baird, who 
became secretary upon the death of Prof. Josei)h Henry, took a most 
active interest in the development of the museum ; and he saw in the 
Centennial Exhibition a great opportunity for it. From the (govern- 
ment exhibit, which he was the means of making, and which was so 
much admired by everybody at Philadelphia, in 1S7C. dates the real 
starting point of the museum, except in zoology. The creditable 
showing then made, and clever persuasion on the part of its officers, 
secured to our collections the gift f)f nearly all tlie government 
exhibits of other countries, and gave us an enormous mass of novel 



116 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

and most precious objects, representing resources and humanity 
" from China to Peru." The work of the U. S. Fish Commission 
(greatly stimulated at that time) also produced large accessions, until 
the previously uneven zoological collection became balanced. This 
vast influx of material had been anticipated by the formulation of a 
scheme which proposed to make a museum that should comprehend 
all departments of human progress — mental, industrial, and artistic ; 
and Congress was so much impressed that it gave $250,000 for the 
construction of the present fire-proof building, which was nearly 
enough completed in the spring of 1881 to serve as the ball-room at 
the inauguration of President Garfield. This building stands with 
its northwestern corner almost touching the old Smithsonian, but is 
as different from that as a terrapin from a woodcock. The Norman 
architecture in brownstone of the older structure is strongly con- 
trasted in the low, tent-like expanse of red, blue, and cream-colored 
bricks, white stone, and glass of its new neighbor. The spacious 
halls, which surround the rotunda in the form of a Greek cross with 
its corners filled in, are floored with vari-colored marble and slate, 
are divided only by lines of arches and low partitions of glass cases, 
and are open above to the iron-work of the lofty roof. All is light, 
airy, and graceful. 

The mam entrajice is in the north front, and is surmounted by 
" an allegorical group of statuary, by C. Buberl of New York, repre- 
senting Columbia as the Patron of Science and Industry." Entering, 
you find yourself at once in the North Hall, with the statuary, plants, 
and fountain of the rotunda, making a pleasing picture in the dis- 
tance. This hall is crov/ded with cases containing personal reHcs of 
great men, and other historical objects. 

The " relics " include a large quantity of furniture, apparel, instru- 
ments, table-ware, documents, etc., which belonged to Washington ; 
many of them were taken from Arlington (p. 157), while many others 
were purchased, in 1S7S, from the heirs of his favorite (adopted) daugh- 
ter, Nelly Custis, who became Mrs. Lewis and lived until 1852. Arti- 
cles that once belonged to Jefferson, Jackson, Franklin (especially his 
own hand printing press), and several other statesmen or comman- 
ders of note ; presents, medals, etc., given to naval officers, envoys, 
and other representatives of the Government, by foreign rulers, are 
shown in great numbers ; but all are well labeled and need here 
neither cataloguing nor description. A most brilliant and valuable 
cabinet is the collection of swords, presents, and testimonials of 
various kinds given to General Grant during the war and in the 
course of his trip around the world. A large display of pottery and 
porcelain, illustrating its manufacture and characteristics, in China, 
Japan, France (Sevres), England, North America, and elsewhere, 
occupies many cases; also a valuable series of lacquers. 

At the right of this hall is the Lecture Room, beyond which, in 
the northwest corner of the building, are the offices of the Director, 



FROM THE MONUMENT TO THE MUSEUMS. 117 

of the Museum, and the Library. The lecture room is surrounded 
by models representing the home life of the American Indians, 
and upon its walls are hung the Catlin Gallery of Indian paintings, 
made by George Catlin on the Upper Missouri plains between 1S32 
and 1840. It is devoted to scientific conferences. 

On the left of the entrance hall is a room devoted to the various 
implements used in the fisheries, and beyond that an apartment 
where a great number and variety of models of boats and vessels, 
especially those used in the fisheries of all parts of the world, may be 
examined. These were largely collected during the tenth census. 

Passing on into the Rotunda, the plaster model of Crawford's 
" Liberty," surmounting the dome of the Capitol, towers above the 
fountain-basin, and is surrounded by several other models of statues, 
the bronze or marble copies of which ornament the parks and build- 
ings of New York, Boston, etc. All these are fully labeled. The 
two great Haviland memorial vases here, whose value is estimated 
at $16,000, were presented by the great pottery firm of Haviland, in 
Limoges, France, and are the work of the artists Bracquemond and 
Delaplanche. One is entitled " 1776," and the other " 1876," and they 
are designed to be illustrative of the struggles through which this 
Republic has passed into prosperity. 

Beyond the rotunda are halls devoted to mammals, mounted by 
scientific taxidermists in a remarkably lifelike manner ; to skele- 
tons of existing and extinct animals ; and to geological specimens, 
minerals, ores, the building stones of the Union and representative 
fossils — a department in which the museum is extremely rich, as it 
is the depository of the United States Geological Survey. 

In the middle halls of the building are an extraordinary number 
of articles — with thousands more hidden away in store-rooms for 
lack of space to exhibit them — of the industrial arts of the world, and 
the life of its inhabitants in every climate, state of civilization, and 
condition of advancement. One hall is devoted wholly, for example, 
to costumes and textile fabrics of every sort. The lay figures wearing 
Hindoo, Persian, Japanese, American Indian and other costumes, were 
largely made for exhibition at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago. 
Where actual costumes are not available, figurines wearing a minia- 
ture of the native dress, casts of statuettes, and pictures are used to 
increase the range of illustration. The examples of the home life 
and arts of the Eskimo, among American savages, and of the Japanese, 
among foreign peoples, are particularly numerous and complete. Par- 



118 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

ticular attention is called here to the series of fabrics, especially bask- 
ets, made from rushes, grass, sj^lit roots and the like, which is exceed- 
ingly instructive and beautiful. In another hall the arts, architecture, 
machinery, weapons, navigation, agricultural implements, tools, musi- 
cal instruments, etc. , of the world are illustrated. Pottery forms 
a large and richly furnished department, ranging from rude wares 
taken from prehistoric graves to the finest product of Japan, China, 
India, England, and France, No other museum in the world has so 
large and complete a series illustrating the native American pottery; 
and those interested in the ceramic arts will pause a long time over 
the work of the Pueblo Indians of the Southwest. It would be quite 
impossible to mention in detail one in a hundred of the objects of 
artistic, historic, and scientific value in this overflowing museum; and 
equally useless to attempt to guide the visitor to their place, since the 
cases are continually being moved about to make room for important 
accessions. 

A considerable portion of the collections, indeed, remain in the 
old Smithsonian building and should not be neglected; they are open 
to the public from 9 to 4.30 o'clock. The halls on the ground floor 
there contain a splendid series of birds, the ornithological collections 
here being among the most extended and useful in the world. Colored 
prints from Audubon's original copper-plates hang upon the walls. 
A beautiful display of sea shells is another feature here, this being a 
sample of the conchological treasures of the museum, which include 
the most historic, typical, and valuable of American collections, con- 
taining many unique specimens and the representatives of hundreds 
of species first described from this material. The same remark would 
apply, however, to every other branch of zoology as represented in 
the National Museum. Some cases of plaster images of reptiles and 
fishes, cast from specimens frozen immediately after death and 
colored from nature, will call for examination and be pronounced, no 
doubt, far more lifelike than any method of preserving the skins of 
these scaly animals. The adjoining hall, at the west end, is filled 
with an extensive and very attractive display (highly instructive to 
artists as well as naturalists) of the invertebrate marine life of both 
the fresh waters and of the seas adjacent to the United States — 
sponges, corals, starfishes and other echinoderms, mollusks in wide 
and beautiful variety, crabs and their kin , and many other preservable 
representatives of the humbler inhabitants of the rivers and ocean. 

The upper floor is a single lofty hall filled to overflowing with 



FROM THE MONUMENT TO THE MUSEUMS. 119 

collections in anthropology, the handiwork of primitive and savage 
races of mankind, illustrating the development, art, and social econ- 
omy of uncivilized mankind, especially during the prehistoric stone 
age. The models and paintings of Arizona cliff -dwellings ought 
especially to be noticed. In the vestibule below are full-sized plaster 
models of the great circular calendar-stone of the IMexicans, etc. 

The Army Medical Museum occupies the handsome brick building 
in the southeast corner of the Smithsonian grounds, next to Seventh 
Street. This institution grew up after the war, out of the work of the 
Surgeon-General's office, and contains a great museum illustrating 
not only all the means and methods of military surgery, but all the 
diseases and casualties of war. This is a gruesome array of pre- 
served flesh and bones, affected by wounds or disease; or wax or 
plaster models of the effects of wounds or disease, which the average 
visitor could contemplate only with horror and dismay. This museum 
nevertheless is of the greatest interest and value to the medical and 
surgical j)rofession, and comprises some 25,000 specimens. In the 
anatomical section there is a very large collection of human crania, 
and about 1,500 skeletons of American mammals. In the miscel- 
laneous sections are the latest appliances for the treatment of diseases, 
all sorts of surgical instruments, and models of ambulances, hospitals, 
etc. The Library is more pleasing and of even more wonderful value, 
being the most complete collection of medical and surgical literature 
in the world, surpassing that of the British Museum. 

The Statue of Dr. Samuel D. Gross, in front of this museum, 
appropriately commemorates one of the greatest of American sur- 
geons (born 1805, died 18S4), and an author and teacher of renown. 
It was erected from professional subscriptions, and presented to the 
Government in 1897. It is of bronze, modeled by Calder. 

A beaut if It I monument to Daguerre, the originator of photog- 
raphy, stands near by this. It was designed by Hartley of New York. 

The United States Fish Commission is the last place to be visited 
on this side of The Mall. It occupies the old ante-bellum arsenal on 
Sixth Street, from which that part of the park between Sixth and 
Seventh streets derives its name, Armory Square. Here, on the 
basement floor, can be seen various aquaria filled with growing plants 
and inhabited by fishes, rare and common, and by quaint and pretty 
swimming and creeping things that dwell in the rivers and sea. The 
apparatus involved in various forms of fish-hatching can be examined, 
and perhaps the process may be watched in a series of tanks which 



120 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

is often so employed. If it should happen that one of the railway- 
cars, in which young fish are carried about the country for planting 
in inland waters, is standing in the yard, it would be worth the 
trouble to look at its arrangements. The upper floor of this building 
is devoted to the offices of the Fish Commissioner and his assistants. 



IX. 

HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE 
WASHINGTON. 



Prominent Streets, Squares, and Residences. 

The only residence of the President of the United States, in 
Washington, is the Executive Mansion ; but that is rather more 
uncomfortable than the average Washington house in midsummer, 
and all the later Presidents have been accustomed to seek a country 
home during hot weather. President Lincoln used to live in a cot- 
tage at the Soldiers' Home; President Grant spent one summer in 
the same house, and President Hayes occupied it every summer dur- 
ing his term. During his first term President Cleveland purchased a 
suburban home near Georgetown (p. 171), which he subsequently 
sold ; but during his second term he rented and occupied another 
country house, " Woodley," in the same locality, and spent as much 
of his time there as he could. 

Vice-President Hobart lives at No. 21 Lafayette Square. 

The Secretarv of State lives in his own house. Sixteenth and H 
streets; the Secretary of the Treasury at No. 1715 Massachusetts 
Avenue; and the Secretary of War at No. 1601 K Street. The Attor- 
ney-General and the Postmaster-General are on the same block, at 
Nos 1707 and 1774 respectively; the Secretary of the Navy lives at 
The Portland; the Secretary of the Interior at The Arlmgton; and 
the Secretary of Agriculture at 2101 S Street. 

Mr Chief Justice Fuller resides in his own house. No. 1801 F Street, 
Mr Justice Field at No. 21 First Street, N. E. (p. 66). Mr. Justice 
Harlan on Meridian Hill, Mr. Justice Gray at No. 1601 I Street, Mr. 
Tuscice Brewer at No. 1412 Massachusetts Avenue, Mr. Justice Brown 
at No T7'^o Sixteenth Street, Mr. Justice Shiras at No. 1515 Massa- 



(121) 



123 



HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 



chusetts Avenue, Mr. Justice White at No. 1717 Rhode Island Ave- 
nue, and Mr. Justice Peckham at No. 1217 Connecticut Avenue. 

Lafayette Square was the name selected by Washington himself 
for the square in front of the Executive Mansion, for which he fore- 
saw great possibilities ; but it remained a bare parade ground, with 
an oval race course at its west end, until after the disastrous days of 
1814. Then, when the White House had been rehabilitated, a begin- 
nmg was made by President Jefferson, who cut off the ends down to 
the present limits (Madison Place and Jackson Place), and caused the 
trees to be planted. No doubt he had a voice in placing there, in 
1S16, St. John's — the quaint Episcopal church on the northern side 
— the first building on the square. Madison, certainly, was greatly 
mterested in it, and it became a sort of court church, for all the 
Presidents attended worship there, as a matter of course, down to 
Lincoln's time, and President Arthur since. Its interior is very inter- 
esting. 

Lafayette Square is now, perhaps, the pleasantest place to sit on a 
summer mornmg or evening among all the out-door loitering places 
in this pleasant city The trees have grown large, the shrubbery is 
handsome -particularly that pyramid of evergreens on the south 
side -and great care is taken with the flower beds; and finally you 
may see all the world pass by, for this park is surrounded more or 
^IS °^ ^^® "^°^^ distinguished persons in 

Two noteworthy statues belong to this park. One is the familiar 
equestrian statue of General and President Andrew Jackson, which 
IS the work of Clark Mills, and probably pleases the populace more 
than any other statue in Washington, but is ridiculed by the critics 
who liken it to a tm soldier balancing himself on a rocking-horse' 
It was cast at B adensburg by Mills himself, who was given cannon 
captured m Jackson s campaigns for material, set up a furnace, and 
made the first successful large bronze casting in America. Another 
interesting fact about this statue is, that the center of gravitv is so 
disposed, by throwing the weight into its hind quarters, that the 
horse stands poised upon its hind legs without any support or the 
aid of any rivets fastening it to the pedestal. This statue was erected 
in 1853, and unveiled on the thirty-eighth anniversary of the battle 
? y^ Orleans. Its cost was $50,000, part of which was paid bv the 
Jackson Monument Association. ^ 

The Memorial to Lafayette, in the southeast corner of the park 
IS a very different affair, and more in the nature of a monument 
erected by Congress to the services of the noble Frenchmen who lent 
us their assistance in the Revolutionary War. Upon a loftv and 
handsome pedestal stands a heroic bronze figure of the Marquis de 
Lafayette in the uniform of a Continental general; while nearer the 
base, at the sides, are statues of Rochambeau and Duportail of the 




THE LAFAYETTE MEMORIAL IN LAFAYETTE SQUARE 



HISTORIC AAW PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON. 123 

French army, and D'Estaing and De Grasse, of the navy. In front 
is "America " holding up a sword to Lafayette. This work is exceed- 
ingly vigorous, and is after models by two of the most eminent of 
modern French sculptors, Falguiere and Mercie. Total cost, 150,000. 

Starting at Pennsylvania Avenue and walking north on Madison 
Place (15 j^ Street), the new Lafayette Square Opera House is immedi- 
ately encountered, standing upon a famous site. The tall, brick house 
which it displaced was originally built by Commodore Rogers, but 
soon became the elite boarding-house of Washington, and numbered 
among its guests John Adams; John C. Calhoun, the fiery South 
Carolinian, while Monroe's Secretary of War and Jackson's Vice- 
President; and Henry Clay, when he was Adams' Secretary of State. 
Then it became the property of the Washington Club, and there 
assembled the rich and influential young men of the capital; Sickles 
and Key were both members, and the tragedy which associates their 
names took place in front of its door; later it became the residence of 
Secretary Seward, and there the deadly assault was made upon him 
by the assassin, Payne, at the time of the assassination of Lincoln in 
1865. Its next distinguished occupant was James G. Blaine, Secre- 
tary of State in the Harrison administration, and there he died. 

The fine yellow colonial house next beyond, now the residence 
of the Vice-President, was formerly owned and occupied by Ogle 
Tayloe, son of John Tayloe, of the Octagon house (p. loS) and Mount 
Airy, Va., who was in the early diplomatic service and one of the 
most accomplished Americans of his day. All of his rare and costly 
pictures, ornaments, and curios, including much that had belonged to 
Commodore Decatur, passed into possession of the Corcoran Art 
Gallery (p. 148). A later occupant was Admiral Paulding, a son of 
John Paulding, one of the captors of Andre, Avho suppressed Walker's 
filibusters in Nicaragua. Lily Hammersley, now dowager Duchess of 
Marlborough, was born there, and some of the most brilliant enter- 
tainments ever given in Washington have been under its roof. In 
the next two houses have lived Secretary Windom, Senator Fenton, 
and Robert G. Ingersoll. 

The gray, mastic-stuccoed house on the corner of H Street, now 
the Cosmos Club-house, has also known many celebrated characters. 
It was built about 1825 by Richard Cutts, the brother-in-law of the 
brilliant and versatile "Dolly" Madison, the wife of President 
Madison. It came into Mr. Madison's possession just before his 
death, some twenty years later, and thither his wife, no longer 



124 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

young, but still beautiful and witty, held court during her declining 
years. After Mrs. Madison's death this house was occupied by such 
tenants as Attorney-General Crittenden; Senator William C. Preston, 
afterward a Confederate brigadier; and Commodore Wilkes, com- 
mander of the celebrated exploring expedition, who, in 1861, was 
required to take his quondam near neighbor, Slidell, from the 
British steamer Trent. He gave it up when the Civil War broke out, 
and was followed by Gen. George B. McClellan, who established 
here the headquarters of the Army of the Potomac. "A sight of 
frequent occurrence in those days," remarks Mrs. Lockwood, "was 
the General with his chief of staff. General Marcy, his aids. Count de 
Chartres and Comte de Paris, with Prince de Joinville at their side, 
in full military costume, mounted, ready to gallop off over the 
Potomac hills." Now its halls, remodeled and extended, are trodden 
by the feet of men the most famous in the country as the investiga- 
tors and developers of scientific truth. (See p. 127.) 

Diagonally opposite the Cosmos Club, facing the square on H 
Street, is the square brick Sumner house, now^apartof the Arlington. 

"Where the main body of the Arlington Hotel now stands," we 
are told in a neat pamphlet issued by its proprietors, "there were 
three stately residences. One was occupied by William L. Marcy, 
Secretary of War under President Polk and Secretary of State under 
President Pierce; and, when he retired, he was succeeded in this and 
the adjoining house by the Secretary of State, under Buchanan, 
Lewis Cass, who, like Marcy, had previously held the war portfolio. 
In the third mansion, but recently superseded by the noble extension 
of the hotel up Vermont Avenue, dwelt Reverdy Johnson, minister 
to England; and there Presidents Buchanan and Harrison were 
entertained prior to their inauguration; and there Patti, Henry 
Irving, President Diaz of Mexico, King Kalakaua, Dom Pedro, and 
Boulanger found that luxurious seclusion which sovereigns and 
artists seek." 

The great double mansion adjoining the Sumner and Pomeroy 
residence (united as the H-Street front of the hotel) was built by 
Matthew St. Clair Clarke, long Clerk of the House of Representatives, 
and afterward became the British Legation. Here lived Sir Bulwer 
Lytton and his not less famous son and secretary, "Owen Meredith," 
now Lord Lytton, who is supposed to have written here his most 
celebrated poem, "Lucile." In later years the house was occupied by 
Lord Ashburton, who, with Daniel Webster, drafted the "Ashburton 
treaty" which defined our Canadian boundary. A still later occupant 
was John Nelson, Attorney-General in Tyler's cabinet; and it is now 



HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON. 125 

the home of Mrs. Margaret Freeman. On the corner of Sixteenth 
Street is St, John's Episcopal Church; and, passing for the present 
other newer residences, another old landmark calls for special atten- 
tion. This is the Decatur House, facing the square on Seventeenth 
Street, at the corner of H, and easily recognized by its pyramidal 
slate roof. This, which was the first private residence on the square, 
was constructed at the close of the War of 1 812 by Commander 
Stephen Decatur, the hero of Tripoli, and one of the most popular 
men of the time. He was the author of the maxim — more patriotic 
than righteous — uttered as a toast: "My country — may she always 
be right; but my cotmtry, right or wrong ! " His house was adorned 
with a multitude of trophies, gifts from foreign rulers, and rare 
knickknacks picked up in all parts of the world; and here he was 
brought to die after his duel with Commodore Barron in Bladensburg 
in 1820. Afterward it was occupied by the Russian minister, and 
then by Henry Clay, when he was Secretary of State under John 
Quincy Adams. When Martin Van Buren succeeded him, he took 
this house and cut the window in the south wall, in order that he 
might see the signals displayed from the White House by "Old 
Hickory," whom he worshiped. He in turn gave up the house to 
his successor, Edward Livingston, a brother of Chancellor Robert 
Livingston of New York, whose wife was that Madame Moreau 
whose wedding in New Orleans was so romantic, and whose daughter 
Cora was the reigning belle of Jackson's administration, as this 
house w^as its social center. Two or three foreign ministers and 
several eminent citizens filled it in succession, and gave brilliant 
parties at which Presidents were guests, the most recent of whom 
was Gen. E. F. Beale, under whose grandfather Decatur had served 
as midshipman. General Beale died in 1894, and his widow now 
dwells in this storied old mansion. 

A few rods south, next the alley, is another house famous in the 
past. It is one of the navy traditions that it was built by Doctor Ewell 
of that service, and occupied by three Secretaries of the Navy, one of 
whom was the talented Levi Woodbury; then it was the home of 
Senator Rives of Virginia, grandfather of the novelist, Amelie Rives 
(Chanler), and afterward of Gen. Daniel Sickles, whose tragedy is 
indelibly associated with this beautiful locality. Vice-President 
Colfax was a still later tenant, and then the house passed into pos- 
session of the late Washington McLean, editor of the Cincinnati 
Enquirer. 



126 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

In this same row, No. 22, the former residence of William M. 
Marcy, Secretary of War, and afterward Secretary of State (i853-'57), 
is now the home of Mrs. R. H. Townsend, daughter of the late 
William L. Scott, of Erie, Pa. Gen. J. G. Parke, who commanded 
the Fifth Army Corps, and was chief -of-staff to Burnside, resides in 
No. 16; and No. 6 is the residence of Mrs. Martha Reed, sister of the 
late Admiral Dahlgren. Lovers of trees will take notice of the row 
of Chinese gingko trees, which shade the sidewalk opposite this row of 
houses, on the western margin of the square. 

Fourteenth Street and Franklin Square. Fourteenth Street is 
the great north-and-south line of travel, extending far out into the 
high northern suburb of Mount Pleasant. Numerous cars run upon it, 
and it passes Franklin Square and Thomas Circle. Franklin Sgttare, 
between Fourteenth and Thirteenth, and I and K streets, comprises 
about four acres, densely shaded, and is a favorite place of resort in 
summer evenings. In its center is the spring of excellent water from 
which the White House is supplied, and where there is a public drink- 
ing fountain. The Franklin school-house overlooks the square on the 
east, and the Hamilton and Cochran hotels are just above it on Four- 
teenth Street. The church on the next corner (L Street) is All Souls 
(Unitarian), diagonally opposite which is The Portland. This brings 
you to Thomas Circle, in the center of which is J. Q. A. Ward's eques- 
trian bronze statue of Gen. George H. Thomas, the " Rock of 
Chickamauga" and hero of Nashville. 

This statue was erected, with great ceremony, in 1879, by the 
Societ}^ of the Army of the Cumberland, which paid $40,000 for the 
design and the casting (in Philadelphia). The pedestal, which bears 
the bronze insignia of the Army of the Cumberland, and its orna- 
mental lamps were furnished by Congress, at an expense of $25,000. 
The statue is itself nineteen feet in height, and is finely modeled; but 
many admirers of this sturdy unassuming commander regret that 
in his representation there is not move7nan and less horse. 

Northwest of Thomas Circle, in front of Lutheran Memorial 
Church, stands one of the most artistic statues in the city, erected by 
the Lutheran Church of America to Marlhi Luther. It was cast in 
Germany from the same molds as Rietschel's center-piece of the cele- 
brated memorial at Wurms, and expresses the indomitable attitude 
of the great reformer on all questions of conscience. This statue is 
eleven feet in height and cost $10,000. 

Fourteenth Street above this point has nothing of special interest, 
but is a handsome and busy highway; and its extension on the ele- 




STATUE OF MAJOR-GENERAL GEORGE H. THOMAS. 



HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON. 12; 

vated ground of Meridian Hill, north of the city boundary, is rapidly 
being settled upon by important people. The gray stone castle sur- 
rounded by large grounds, at the foot of the hill on the right, is called 
' ' Belmont," and belongs to A. L. Barber, owner of the Trinidad asphalt 
mines. Mrs. General Logan lives at Calumet Place, two blocks east, 
on the street north of " Belmont," where she has a cabinet of relics 
of her famous husband, which is frequently visited by veterans of the 
war, Mr. Justice Harlan, of the Supreme Court, resides on the oppo- 
site side of the street, two blocks north, at the corner of Euclid Place. 
The Chinese Legation formerly occupied a row of four brown- 
stone houses on the crest of the hill, easily distinguished by the 
yellow flag, bearing a dragon in black, which always floated from 
the tower. The Legation is now situated at the corner of Q and 
Eighteenth streets. 

Following H Street from Fourteenth westward. No. 1404, now 
known as the Elsmere Hotel, was for many years the residence of the 
late Zachariah Chandler; No. 1411 was the residence of the late Justice 
William Strong, of the Supreme Court, and No. 1405 is the parish house 
of old St. Matthew's Church, on the corner of Fifteenth vStreet, 
recently abandoned for a more modern and commodious structure on 
Rhode Island Avenue. The magnificent Shoreham Hotel (p. 11), 
the Colonial Hotel, and the Columbian University occupy the other 
corners, the new Law School of the latter conspicuous on H Street. 

The Cohnnbiaii University is one of the oldest and best-equipped 
schools of higher learning at the capital. It has a ^preparatory 
school and departments of undergraduate and postgraduate aca- 
demic studies; special courses in science (Corcoran Scientific School); 
of medicine and dentistry; and of law. Its endowments now amount 
to about $1,000,000, and its faculty and list of lecturers include a 
large number of men in public life, from certain justices of the 
Supreme Court down. This is particularly true of the Corcoran 
Scientific School, where the lecturers are all men identified with 
special investigations at the Smithsonian, Geological Survey, or in 
some of the technical branches of the Army or Navy. This univer- 
sity, which was aided at the beginning by the Government, has 
always had access to and made great use of the libraries and museums 
which abound here and are of so great educational value. 

Continuing our notes westward along H Street: Gen. Chauncey 
McKeever, U. S. A., lives at No, 1508, and on the left-hand corner, 
at Madison Place, is the Cosmos Club, 

The Cosmos Club is a social club of men interested in science, of 
whom Washington now contains a greater number and, on the aver- 
age, a higher grade than an3r other city. This is due to the emplo}-- 
ment and encouragement given by the Smithsonian Institution, Agri- 



1 28 HA ND V G UIDE TO WA SHING TON. 

cultural Department, Geological and Coast surveys, Fish Commis- 
sion, Naval Observatory, technical departments of the Treasury, 
War, and Navy departments, and two or three universities. This 
club may therefore be considered the intellectual center of the non- 
political life of the capital, and at any one of its delightful Monday 
evenings, half a hundred men of high attainments and wide reputation 
may be seen, and the conversation heard is, in its way, as interest- 
ing and inspiring as anything to be listened to in the land. The 
historic old house (p. 123) has been somewhat modified, chiefly by 
the addition of a large hall, which may be shut off from the remain- 
ing rooms and used as a meeting room; and there the Philosophical, 
Biological, Geographic, and kindred societies hold their meetings on 
stated evenings. 

The Arlington Hotel, including the former residences of Senators 
Sumner and Pomeroy, is diagonally opposite the Cosmos; and next 
beyond is the " Bulwer House," and then St. John's Episcopal Church. 
All these face Lafayette Square and have been elsewhere described 
(p. 122). On the farther corner of Sixteenth Street, opj^osite St. 
John's, is the beautiful home of Col. John Hay, the author of " Little 
Breeches " and with Mr. Nicolay, of the principal biography of Lin- 
coln, who is now Secretary of State. The yellow house. No. 1607, 
next beyond, was built and for many years occupied by Com. 
Richard Stockton, who added to a glorious naval record, in the Medi- 
terranean and West Indies, the establishment of American rule in 
California in 1845. Later it was tenanted by Slidell, who, with 
Mason, was sent by the Confederate government to England as a 
commissioner, but was captured on the Trent by his quondam 
neighbor. Commodore Wilkes, who then lived in the present home of 
the Cosmos Club; it was the residence of Mr. Lamont when Secretary 
of War. The adjoining house on the corner of Seventeenth Street — 
which was for many years the residence of the late W. W. Corcoran, 
the philanthropic banker, to whom the city owes the Corcoran Gal- 
lery (p. 148), the Louise Home (p. 133), and other enterprises and 
benefactions, and until lately occupied by Senator Calvin S. Brice — 
is another of the famous homes of old Washington, and has been the 
residence of several men of note, including Daniel Webster. It 
has been leased by Senator Depew of New York, for six years. 

Crossing Connecticut Avenue, the corner house is that of Admiral 
Shubrick, opposite which (on Seventeenth), facing the Square, is the 
ancient Decatur House (p. 125). Next beyond. No. 1621 H Street, is the 
residence of Judge J. C. Bancroft Davis, the diplomat, now reporter of 
the Supreme Court. In the old-fashioned square house adjoining it, 



HIS TORIC A ND PIC TURE SQ UE WA SHING TON. 129 

to the west, George Bancroft spent the last twenty years of his life, 
and completed his History of the United States. The Richmond, on 
the corner of Seventeenth Street, is a popular family hotel. The 
Albany, on the other side, is an apartment house for gentlemen ; and 
on the southwest corner is the Metropolitan Club, the largest, wealthi- 
est, and most fashionable club in Washington, one rule of which is, 
that members of the foreign diplomatic service, resident in Washing- 
ton, are ex-officio members of the club, and need only pay stipulated 
dues in order to take advantage of its privileges. This block on H 
Street between Seventeenth and Eighteenth streets is familiarly 
known as the Midway Plaisance. Adjoining the Metropolitan Club 
are club chambers for gentlemen, and the large 3rellow house, next 
westward, was the home of Admiral Porter of the United States Navy. 
It is now the French Embassy. Nearly opposite, at No. 1710, is the 
Washington Club, an exclusive organization of fashionable ladies. 
The Milton and Everett are family apartment houses; and No. 1739 
was the residence of the late AVilliam A. Richardson, formerly Secretary 
of the Treasury, and afterward Chief Justice of the Court of Claims. 

In this neighborhood dwelt many old Washington families and 
some modern notabilities. The Everett house, on the southeast 
corner of Eighteenth and G, is historic. It was built and occupied 
by Edward Everett of Massachusetts, when Secretary of State under 
Fillmore. Afterward it was the home of Jefferson Davis, when 
Secretary of War, after his marriage with his second wife. He 
continued there during his term as Secretary of State, but not after 
he returned to the Senate. His successor in the house was another 
■4fMla»4n high place, Jacob Thompson, Buchanan's Secretary of the 
Interior, who became a member of the Confederate cabinet in 1S61. 
Then followed Capt. Henry A. Wise, a well-known officer of the 
navy, after whom the medical department of the navy used the 
house for many years. 

The Wirt house is a few rods to the east of the Edward Everett 
house, on G, between Seventeenth and Eighteenth, on the south 
side. It is so called because that eminent jurist lived here twelve 
years, during the administrations of Monroe and J. Q. Adams. Mrs. 
Lockwood tells us that it is not known who built the house, but that 
it was occupied at the beginning of the century by Washington's 
private secretary, Col. Tobias Lear, a Revolutionary officer, who was 
the commissioner that concluded the peace with Tripoli. Wirt was 
United States Attorney-General from 181 7 to 1829. His gardens 



130 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

were large and beautiful, for his wife was exceedingly fond of 
flowers and was the author of •' Flora's Dictionary." The most bril- 
liant entertainments of that day were given here, until Jackson's time, 
when it wassold and occupied later by a succession of cabinet officers 
and high functionaries, one of whom gave a dinner to the Prince of 
Wales under its roof. During or after the war it became the office of 
the Afmy Signal Corps; and there the present weather service was 
developed. The present chief signal officer, weather expert, and 
Arctic explorer, Gen. A. W. Greely, resides near, at No. 1914 G Street, 
and General Miles, commanding the army, at No. 1927. Doctor Ham- 
mond, ex-surgeon-general of the army, lives on Fifteenth Street 
extended, where he has a large mansion called " Belcourt." 

Going westward on I Street from Fourteenth Street the first 
house on the right is owned and occupied by John W. Foster, the 
diplomat, who was Secretary of State under Harrison and, later, 
advisory counsel to China in her settlement with Japan. The large 
brick house adjoining is the Mexican Legation. Chief Justice Waite 
lived in the house beyond the alley, now occupied by the widow of 
ex-Governor Swann. The brownstone mansion at No. 141 9 is the resi- 
dence of John W. Thompson, president of the National Metropolitan 
Bank. Senator Chandler of New Hampshire lives in No. 1421, once the 
residence of Caleb Gushing. The southeast corner of Fifteenth and 
I streets is John Chamberlin's hotel, which occupies three houses 
that formerly belonged to Fernando Wood, ex-Governor Swann of 
INIaryland (who placed in one of them two Thorwaldsen mantels 
from the Van Ness mansion), and James G. Blaine, who lived there 
when Speaker of the House of Representatives. Number S19 
Fifteenth Street is occupied by Gen. Stewart Van Vleit, U. S. A. 
Opposite Chamberlin's, on the southwest corner (No. 1500 I Street), 
Hamilton Fish lived when he was Secretary of State, and it is now 
the residence of John McLean of the Cincinnati Eiiqttircr. These 
houses face upon McPhe?-son Square, one of the most finished of 
the city's smaller parks. 

The noble equestrian statue that graces this square was erected 
by the Army of the Tennessee to its commander, James B. McPher- 
son, who was killed at Atlanta; and it w^as his successor, Gen. John 
A. Logan, who made the dedicatory oration, when, amid a great 
military disjDlay, this statue was unveiled in 1876. The sculptor was 
Louis T, Robisso, and the statue was composed of cannon captured 
in Georgia. The cost was about $50,000. 

]\Iany fine residences and hotels face this square, and Vermont 
Avenue passes through it toward the northeast. 



WASHINGTON, D. C. 




La Normandie 



Hotel 



I S a new house situated in the fashionable 
■ West End, opposite McPherson Square, 
within two blocks of the White House, 
Treasuiy, and State, War and Navy Depart- 
ments. 

All the latest improvements in sanitary 
plumbing, ventilation, heating, and incan- 
descent electric lighting have been adopted. 

The house is exceptionall}^ well finished 
and furnished, and is, without doubt, the 
best Hotel in Washington. A special 
feature is made of the cuisine and service. 

Rooms are arranged either singly or in 
suites of parlor, bath-room, and as many 
bedrooms as desired. 

HORACE M. CAKE, 

PROPRIETOR. 



HIS TORIC A ND PIC T URE SQ UE WA SHING TON. 1 31 

Continuing westward, No. 1535 I Street is the residence of 
James G. Berret, who was mayor of Washington during the Civil 
war. Mr. Justice Gray lives in No. 1601; No. 1600 is the home of 
Mrs. Tuckerman, the widow of a New York banker; No. 161 7 was 
the residence of the late George W. Riggs, and is now occupied by his 
daughters; No. 1701 was the University Club; 1707 is the residence 
of Mrs. Stanley Matthews; Paymaster-General Watmough of the navy 
lives in No. 1711, and John A. Kasson in No. 1726. Number 1731 is a 
famous house, having been occupied by Mr. Frelinghuysen when he 
was Secretary of State; William C. Whitney, Cleveland's first Secre- 
tary of the Navy, and John Wanamaker, when he was Postmaster- 
General; it is now owned and occupied by S. S. Rowland, a son- 
in-law of the late August Belmont. In No. 1739, at the corner of 
Eighteenth Street, resides Harriet Lane Johnson, who presided at 
the White House during the Buchanan administration. Gen. T. H. 
Rucker, U. S. A., a prominent officer in the Civil War, and father of 
the widow of General Sheridan, lives at No. 2005; Admiral Selfridge 
dwells at No. 2013; Gen. Robert Macfeely, U. S. A., at No. 2015; 
and Prof. Cleveland Abbe, the meteorologist, at No. 2018. 

Following K Street westward from Twelfth Street, the first 
house on the southwest corner is the parsonage of the New York 
Avenue Presbyterian Church, occupied by the Rev. Mr. Radcliffe. 
In No. 1205 resides A. S. Soloman, the almoner of Baron Hirsch, the 
Jewish philanthropist. Number 1301 was once the residence of Ros- 
coe Conkling; No. 1311 was built by Ben HoUiday, who operated 
the pony express across the continent for many years before the con- 
struction of the Union Pacific Railway; No. 1313 was formerly the 
home of Robert G. IngersoU; Secretary John Sherman lives at No. 
1321; and No. 1325 was, during the war, the residence of Secretary 
Edwin M. Stanton; John G. Carlisle lived at No. 1426; Admiral Worden . 
the commander of the Monitor during her fight with the Merrimac, 
dwells at No. 1428, and Senator Gorman at No. 1432. The large 
house at the corner of Vermont Avenue and K Street is occupied by 
Grosvenor P. Lowrey, a patent lawyer, and the brownstone front 
adjoining was built by ex-Senator Palmer of Michigan, Repre- 
sentative Hitt of Illinois lives at No. 1507; Mrs. B. H. Warder at No. 
1515; and the new yellow house near the corner of Sixteenth Street 
is the home of the widow of George W. Childs of Philadelphia. The 
house at the southeast corner of K and Sixteenth streets, another of 
Richardson's productions, is occupied by the widow of Nicholas 



132 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

Anderson of Cincinnati. General R. A. Alger, Secretary of War, 
lives in No. 1601; Senator Wetmore, of Rhode Island, in No. 1609; 
the Rev. Doctor McKim, rector of Epiphany Church, at No. 1621; 
Senator Matthew Quay in No. 1620; Mr. Porter, Secretary to the 
President, in No. 1623; Jerome Bonaparte, a great -grandnephew of 
Napoleon, in No. 1627; ex-Senator Murphy of New York in No. 1701; 
and Titian J, Coffey, an ex-Secretary of the Navy, lived in No. 17 13. 
" Little Lord Fauntleroy" was written in the house at No. 1730, 
which was then the residence of Doctor Swan M. and Mrs. Frances 
Hodgson-Burnett — the former a distinguished oculist, and the latter 
the well-known novelist. Dr. Burnett is still a resident of Washing- 
ton, but Mrs. Burnett makes her home permanently in London. 

Sixteenth Street which starts from Lafayette Square, opposite 
the White House, is sometimes known as Executive Avenue, and 
Congress has been importuned to legalize that name. St. John's 
Church is on the right, at the corner of H Street, and the residence of 
Mr. John Hay on the left. At the northwest corner of I Street Mr. 
Justice Gray of the Supreme Court resides, and back of him is The 
Gordon, a fashionable family hotel. No. 930 is the home of Maj. 
George M. Wheeler, U. S. A., who conducted the " surveys west of 
the looth meridian " with which his name is identified. Senator 
Hale of Maine lives at No. looi; Surgeon-General Sternberg, of the 
army, at No. 1019; Senator Proctor of Vermont at the northeast cor- 
ner of L Street, and E. F. Andrews, the artist, at No. 1232. Passing- 
Scott Circle, ex-Representative Huff of Pennsylvania resides at 
No. 1323; the Rev. Alex. Mackay-Smith, rector of St. John's Church 
at No. 1325; ex-Representative Bourke Cockran at No. 1333; W. G. 
Gurley, a Washington banker, at No. 1401 ; Mr. Justice Brown of the 
Supreme Court at No. 1720; Gen. Rufus Saxton, U. S. A., at No. 1821, 
and other equally famous people on both sides. The conspicuous 
brownstone " castle " on high ground at the end of Sixteenth Street, 
on the left, is the home of ex-Senator Henderson of Missouri. 

; Massachusetts Avenue is one of the finest streets in the city, 
and a great promenade. ^ It stretches parallel with Pennsylvania 
Avenue from Hospital Square (p. 68), on the Anacostia River, north- 
westward through Lincoln Square (p. 68), Stanton Square (p. 67), 
Mount Vernon Square— a pretty little park where New York Avenue 
crosses Eighth and K streets, three blocks north of the Patent 
Office— Thomas Circle (p. 126), Scott Circle (p. 133). Dupont Circle 
(p. 136), and Decatur Circle, where it bends slightly and is extended 




STATUE OF GENERAL WINFIELD S. SCOTT. 



HIS TORIC AND PICTURESQ UE WA SHING TON. 133 

through the elegant suburb on the banks of Rock Creek, and so out 
to the hilly region north of Georgetown. An excellent view of this 
stately boulevard can be obtained at its junction with Twelfth Street, 
which is one of the highest points in Washington. Ascension Epis- 
copal Church fills the northwest corner at this crossing. Robert 
Hinkley, the artist, lives in No. 1310; Mr. Justice Morris, of the 
District Supreme Court, in No. 1314 ; J. Stanley-Brown, private secre- 
tary of the late President Garfield, and " Molly" Garfield, his wife, 
in No. 1318. Mr. E. Francis Riggs resides at No. 131 1, and the 
widow of Admiral Dahlgren in No. 1325 ; No. 1330 is the Legation 
of Chile, and the large square house at the junction of M Street and 
Vermont Avenue, facing Thomas Circle, is the home of ex-Justice 
Wiley, of the District Supreme Court. Mr. Justice Brewer lives at 
No. 141 2, Senator Cullom at No. 141 3, the widow of Mr. Justice 
Miller at No. 141 5, S. H. Kauffman, proprietor of The Evening Star, 
at No. 1421 , Senator Davis, of Minnesota, at No. 1428. The large red- 
brick house. No. 1435, is the German Embassy. The brownstone 
building surrounded by large grounds, on the south side of Massachu- 
setts Avenue, between Fifteenth and Sixteenth streets, is the Louise 
Home. It was founded by the late W. W. Corcoran, and nearly all 
its inmates are widows of ex-Confederate officers belonging to the 
aristocracy of the South, who lost their fortunes during the war. 
Nearly opposite it was the home of the late Prof. Spencer F. Baird, 
long United States Fish Commissioner and Secretary of the Smith- 
sonian Institution. The familiar name for Scott Circle, the locality 
around the statue of General Scott, at the junction of Massachusetts 
and Rhode Island avenues. Sixteenth and N streets, is "Calamity 
Circle," because every person who built a house there died shortly 
afterward, or was visited with some misfortune. 

This equestrian statue of Gen. Winfield Scott, the victor in the 
Mexican War, was erected in 1874. "It was modeled by H. K. 
Brown, and cast in Philadelphia from cannon captured in Mexico. 
Its total height is fifteen feet, and its cost was $20,000. The pedestal 
is of granite from Cape Ann quarries, and is composed of five huge 
blocks, said to be the largest ever quarried in the United States. 
The cost of the pedestal was about $25,000. General Scott is repre- 
sented in the uniform of his rank as Lieutenant-General." 

The large house at the junction of N Street and Massachusetts 
Avenue is the residence of Supreme Justice Shiras. The mansion 
to the northward, between N Street and Rhode Island Avenue, was 
erected by Prof. Alex. Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone, 



134 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

and after several years was sold to Levi P. Morton, who occupied it 
while he was Vice-President. The square brick house at the north- 
east corner of Sixteenth Street was built by Senator Cameron, of 
Pennsylvania, and sold to Yx. D. P. Morgan, a New York banker, 
whose widow and family still reside there. On the opposite side of 
Sixteenth Street the late William Windom lived while he was a Sen- 
ator from Minnesota and Secretary of the Treasury ; it is now 
owned and occupied by Charles A. Munn, formerly of Chicago. The 
house adjoining, which belongs to Stilson Hutchins, a well-known 
writer, is usually rented by one of the foreign legations. E. Kurtz 
Johnson, a banker, built and died in the house at the western corner 
of N Street. Continuing westward on Massachusetts Avenue, Mr. 
Spofford of the Library of Congress, lives at No. 1621; No. 1623 is the 
Nicaragua Legation, and No. 1627 is the residence of the widow of 
the late Senator Vance of North Carolina. Bishop Hurst, of the 
Methodist church, resides in No. 1701; the Attorney-General at 
No. 1707; the Secretary of the Treasury at No. 1715; Beriah Wilkins, 
of the Washington Post, in No. 1709; Senator Lodge of Massa- 
chusetts, in No. 1765. No. 1770 belongs to Mrs. Frances Hodgson- 
Burnett, the famous novelist. The castellated house opposite 
belongs to the widow of the late Belden Noble, and was occupied 
by the Spanish Legation. The little church on the triangle is the 
property of the estate of the late Senator Van Wyck of Nebraska; 
it has been occupied alternately by the Episcopalians and by the 
Swedenborgians, and Mr. Van Wyck used it as a dwelling for some 
time before his death. The large mansion of fire-brick on P Street, 
back of it, is occupied by William J. Boardman, of Cleveland, Ohio. 
Passing beyond Dupont Circle, No. 1915, adjoining the "Stewart 
Castle," is the residence of Paymaster Michler, of the navy, and on 
the corner opposite lived for many years the late Mrs. Craig Wads- 
worth, who was a leader of Washington society; No. 2013 is the resi- 
dence Q>i Charles M. Ffoulke, and the hall which adjoins it on the east 
was built to exhibit his collection of tapestries, which is one of the 
finest in the world. On the opposite side of the street, m the rear 
of the Blaine house (p. 136), Miss Grace Denio Litchfield, the novel- 
ist, resides. Number 2100 is the residence of B. H. Warner, a 
Washington banker, and the large mansion at No. 2122 was erected 
by the late Mrs. Patton, who inherited a fortune gained by her 
husband in the mines of Nevada; it is now occupied by her fom 
daughters. No. 21 11, on the opposite side of the street, was erected 



STATUE OF ADMIRAL SAMUEL F. DUPONT IN DUPONT CIRCLE. 
(See page 124.) 



HIS TORIC A ND PICTURE SQ UE WA SHING TON. 135 

by ex-Senator Edmunds, of Vermont, and was sold by him in 1895 
to the widow of General Grant, who now resides there with her 
daughter, Mrs. Nellie Sartoris. The gray house to the westward is 
the residence of Mrs. Richard Townsend. 

Connecticut Avenue, from H Street to the boundary, is the Sun- 
day afternoon promenade. Starting northward upon our survey at 
Lafayette Square, where the gardens of the old Webster house 
fill the corner at the right. No. 814 was the residence, after the 
Civil War, of Admiral Wilkes (p. 124), and is still occupied by his 
family. Just beyond is Farragut Square, a small, prettily planted 
park, in the center of which is a statue to the hero of Mobile Bay 
and the Mississippi forts. 

This statue of Farragut represents him as standing upon the 
deck of his flagship Hartford, from whose propeller the metal 
of which the statue is composed, was taken, and was cast in 1880, 
after models by Mrs, Lieutenant Hoxie, then Miss Vinnie Ream. It 
cost $25,000, and was dedicated in April, 1881, many of Farragut's 
old shipmates taking part in the ceremonies. See illustration, p. 10. 

The large gray house on the next corner (numbered 1705 K Street) 
was originally the residence of Alexander R. Shepherd, the rebuilder 
of Washington (p. 16). It was for many years the Russian Legation, 
and is now owned and occupied by Mrs. Bugher. The houses back 
of it are usually occupied by attaches of the different legations. The 
large brick building at the corner of L Street, on the right, is a 
Catholic school for girls; and the yellow house on the opposite 
corner of De Sales Street is the Grafton Hotel. Colonel John M. 
Wilson, Superintendent of Public Buildings and Grounds, resides at 
No. 1141; Senator Wolcott, of Colorado, at No. 1221, and Professor 
Thomas Wilson, anthropologist of the Smithsonian Institution, at 
No. 1218. The handsome stone church (p. 146), with the large square 
tower, is the Presbyterian Church of the Covenant. The Brazilian 
Legation occupies the corner of N Street, to the west. On the 
opposite corner, to the north, is the British Embassy. This is one of 
the few legations in Washington that are owned, and not rented, by 
their governments, the others being those of Austria, Brazil, Ger- 
many, Japan, and Korea. It occupies the site, curiously enough, of 
the first and only cricket club at the capital, which ceased to play 
many years ago. On the point between Connecticut Avenue and 
Eighteenth Street stands the residence of Commander William H. 
Emory, U. S. N., now occupied by ex-Representative Reyburn, of 
Philadelphia. The Austrian government has . recently purchased. 



136 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

and now occupies, No. 1307 as a Legation. Inspector-General 
Breckenridge, U. S. A., at No. 1314; Admiral Carter at No. 1316; the 
family of the late Gardiner G. Hubbard at No. 1328, and Prof. 
A. Graham Bell at No. 1321. These houses are upon Dupont Circle. 

This pretty circular park occupies the interior of the space made 
by the intersection here of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New 
Hampshire avenues, and P and Nineteenth streets. In its center 
stands the bronze statue of Admiral Samuel F. Dupont, a popular 
officer of the navy during the Civil War, which was designed by 
Launt Thomson, cost $10,000, and was unveiled in 1884. Passing 
beyond Dupont Circle, the large red-brick house to the westward, on 
the point between P Street and Massachusetts Avenue, was erected 
by the late James G. Blaine when he was Secretary of State in 
Garfield's cabinet; it still belongs to his estate, but is occupied by 
Mrs. Westinghouse, of Pittsburg. The gray house. No. 8, is known 
as Castle Stewart. It was for many years the Chinese Legation, and 
there was given the famous ball, in 18S6, when Washington was 
scandalized by scenes of social riot. It is now the residence of its 
owner, Senator Stewart, of Nevada. The big cream-colored house, 
with the lofty pillared portico, at No. 1400 New Hampshire Avenue, 
opposite, is the home of the wealthy merchant, L. Z. Leiter, formerly 
of Chicago, whose daughter married Lord Curzpn, the viceroy of 
India. No. 161 1 Connecticut Avenue is the home of Mrs. Coltou, 
whose husband was formerly treasurer of the Central Pacific Railroad. 
Francis B. Colton lives in the English basement house, a little farther 
north. The large brownstone residence at the point between Con- 
necticut Avenue and Twentieth Street is the winter home of ex 
Senator Philetus Sawyer of Wisconsin; the brick house, No. 1705 
is the home of Lyman Tiffany; Admiral Crosby is at No 
1 71 8, and William E. Curtis, the newspaper writer and author of 
many books of travel, lives at No. 1801, at the corner of S Street. 
The little chapel on the hill above is St. Margaret's (Episcopal). 

''Connecticut Avenue Extended'' is the name applied to this 
street where, beyond Rock Creek, it resumes its straight course. It 
leads directly to Chevy Chase (p. 167), and bids fair to become the 
highway of one of the best of the future suburban districts. 

On Rhode Island Avenue. The widow of Chief Justice Waite 
lived at No. 1616, just west of Scott Circle; and the widow of General 
Sheridan at No. 161 7, across the way; No. 1626 is the home of Albert 
Clifford Barney; and at No. 1640, Mr. Olney, formerly the Secretary 




STATUE OF WASHINGTON IN WASHINGTON CIRCLE. 



HIS TORIC A ND PIC T URE SQ UE WA SHING TON. 137 

of State, resided. Mrs. Robert Anderson, the widow of the hero of 
Fort Sumter, lives at No. 1406. The small " circle," at Vermont 
Avenue and P Street, is named Iowa, and is ornamented by a statue 
of Gen. John A. Logan, surmounting a bronze pedestal. 

New Hampshire Avenue is a long street nearly parallel with 
Vermont Avenue, reaching from the Potomac northeast to the bound- 
ary at the head of Fifteenth Street, and then extended through the 
distant suburb of Brightwood (p. 161). There is a pretty triangle 
where it crosses Virginia Avenue; and where it crosses Pennsylvania, 
K, and Twenty-third streets, is a park named Washington Circle. 
An equestrian bronze statue of Washington, modeled and cast by 
Clark Mills, was erected here long ago, at a cost of 150,000. The 
artist is said to have intended to represent him as he appeared at 
the battle of Princeton. 

Some distance above this, the triangle, at the junction of the ave- 
nue, N, and Twentieth streets, is covered by the residence of Dr. Guy 
Fairfax Whiting. Christian Heurich, who owns the brew^ery a block 
below, lives at No. 1307. Paymaster-General Stewart, United States 
Navy, resides at No. 1315; Mrs. Phoebe Hearst, widow of the late 
Senator from California, and famous for her charities, at No. 
1400, and the widow of the late " Sunset" Cox at No. 1408. North 
of Dupont Circle, the Leiter mansion (p. 136) is conspicuous, and that 
of W. C. Whittemore, another retired Chicago merchant, is on the 
next corner at No. 1526. The large, white house opposite this is the 
home of Lieut. Richardson Clover, United States Navy. The Rev. 
P. Van Wyck, a retired chaplain of the navy, lives at No. 1601; 
Representative Dalzell of Pennsylvania, at No. 1605; and Thomas 
Nelson Page, the novelist, on the corner of R Street. 

Some notable residences, away from the district surveyed above, 
should be mentioned. The officers attached to the Navy Yard, 
to the Washington Barracks (Fourth Artillery, U. S. A.), and to the 
Third Cavalry at Fort Myer, dwell at these stations in the more or 
less cozy quarters provided by the Government for them. Senator 
Morgan, of Alabama, lives in a brownstone house opposite the First 
Presbyterian Church, at No. 315 Four-and-a-half Street. 

Mgr. Martinelli.the Apostle Legate of the Pope of Rome to the 
United States, resides at No. 201 I Street. This house was pre- 
sented to General Grant, by the citizens of Washington, at the close of 
the war, and occupied by him until he was inaugurated as President. 
It was afterward the residence of Justice Bradley of the Supreme 



138 



HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 



Court. The adjoining house, No. 203, was presented to Gen. W. T. 
Sherman, who lived there for several years, and afterward on 
Fifteenth Street. Mrs. Jean Lander, once a famous actress, resides 
at No. 45 B Street, S. E., facing Capitol Park; and John G. Nicolay, 
private secretary to President Lincoln, and his co-biographer with 
Mr. Hay, is at No. 212, on the opposite side of the same street. 
Mr. Justice Field of the Supreme Court, Senator Harris of Tennes- 
see, and ex-Governor Ordway of Dakota inhabit the block on Capitol 
Park, which was originally the old Capitol. 




STATUE OF FARRAGUT. 



X. 

OFFICIAL ETIQUETTE AT THE 
CAPITAL. 



Washington society is distinguished from that of other cities 
mainly by its semi-official character, and in a manner that is not 
reproduced in any other capital the world over. The official etiquette 
which surrounds its social observances is simple, and, although new 
conditions have tended to make some part of the code complex to 
those who would wish to see its rules as clearly defined as constitu- 
tional amendments, the most important of its customs have become 
laws which are generally accepted. The ever-changing personality 
of the heads of the executive branches of the Government, and of 
the lawmakers themselves, together with that innate hatred for any- 
thing partaking too much of court ceremonial, precedence, etc., 
which is strong in the average American, were good enough reasons 
for the last generation in leaving these questions unsettled, and wilL 
in all probability, even better answer the bustling spirit of the actors 
upon the social stage. To the stranger who wishes to meet persons 
of national prominence at official gatherings, and to catch, besides, a 
glimpse of that plant of slower and more substantial growth — resi- 
dential society — the path can be made very easy and the way clear. 

Social Formalities at the White House. — The President, as the 
head of the Nation, is entitled to first place whenever he mingles in 
social life. Whether the second place belongs to the Vice-President 
or to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has not been defined 
any clearer than whether the Speaker of the House is entitled to 
precedence over members of the Cabinet. In the popular mind, the 
second place is accorded the Vice-President by virtue of his right of 
succession to the highest office in the gift of the people, by the death, 
resignation, or disability of the President. Since the passage of the 
Presidential Succession bill (January 19, 1886), the Cabinet is given 
precedence over the Speaker by the same process of reasoning. 

(139) 



140 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

The official social seaso7i extends from New Year to Ash Wed- 
nesday, the first day of Lent. All the formal hospitalities at the 
Executive Mansion occur within this period. On New Year's the 
President holds a reception which begins at ii o'clock and closes at 
2 p. m. The Vice-President and the Cabinet are first received, and 
then the Diplomatic Corps. After that body, the Supreme Court, 
Senators and Members of Congress, officers of the army and navy, 
department chiefs, etc. The last hour is given to the public. 

During the season, three card receptions are held — the first in 
honor of the Diplomatic Corps; the second in honor of the judi- 
ciary and the Congress; while the third is one at which officers of the 
army, navy, and Marine Corps are the guests of honor. A fourth 
reception is for the public. Advance notice is given in the daily 
papers of each reception. Invitations for the whole series are sent 
out about the first of January to the Diplomatic Corps, to all high 
officials in the executive and legislative departments, to officers of 
the army, navy, and Marine Corps, and to acquaintances of the 
President and his family among residents of Washington and other 
cities. Diplomats wear either court or military uniforms, and officers 
of the three branches of the service also appear in uniform. No cards 
of invitation are presented by guests when entering the Executive 
Mansion, so that practically all these receptions are public events. 

The President is assisted on these occasions by his wife, the wife 
of the Vice-President, and the Cabinet ladies. The State Dining- 
room, at the west end of the house, is used as a cloak room. Having 
laid aside their wraps, several hundred persons are usually assembled 
in the main corridor when the President and wife and the receiving 
party descend to the Blue Room (p. 8i), where these receptions are 
held. Guests approach the Blue Room through the Red Room. 
Each person announces his or her name to the usher, who stands at 
the threshold of the Blue Room. He repeats it to the army officer 
who stands next to the President and who presents each person to 
him. The President always shakes hands. Another army officer 
standing in front of the President's wife repeats each name to her. 
She and the ladies assisting, shake hands with each person who 
offers their hand to them. A knowledge of this fact on the part of 
strangers will avoid mutual embarrassment. Some ladies in the 
ultrafashionable set make deep curtseys to each person instead of 
shaking hands, when going down the line at these receptions, but 
the custom has not grown in favor. If not invited to join those back 



OFFICIAL ETIQUETTE. 141 

of the line, guests pass through the Green to the East Room. In this 
stately apartment the gathering assumes its most brilliant aspect. 

In the case of a public reception, persons approach the White 
House by the west gate and a line is formed, which frequently ex- 
tends as far west as Seventeenth Street, those coming last taking 
their places at the end. After the threshold of the White House is 
crossed, the line is a single file through the vestibule, the corridor, 
and the Red Room to the Blue Room. As in the case of a guest at 
a card reception, each person announces his or her name to the 
usher, by whom it is repeated to the army officer who makes the 
presentations to the President. These rules are also observed when 
the wife of the President holds a public reception. 

The state dinners alternate with the levees. The first dinner is 
given in honor of the Cabinet, the second in honor of the Diplomatic 
Corps, and the third in honor of the judiciary. The President and 
his wife receive their guests in the East Room (p. 80) , an army 
officer making the presentations. When the butler announces din- 
ner, the President gives his arm to the lady whose husband's official 
position entitles her to precedence and leads the way to the State 
Dining-room. If a dinner of more than forty covers is given, the 
table is laid in the corridor. 

An invitation to dine with the President may not be declined, 
excepting where serious reasons can be stated in the note of regret. 
A prior engagement is not considered a sufficient reason, and, in fact, 
nothing less than personal ill-health, or serious illness, or a death in 
one's family would excuse one from obedience to a summons to the 
table of the President. 

In conversation, the Chief Executive is addressed as " Mr. Presi- 
dent." In writing as " The President of the United States." 

The wife of the President enjoys the same privileges as her hus- 
band. She receives first calls from all and returns no visits. She 
receives the public on Saturday afternoons, from 3 to 5 o'clock, once 
or twice each season. She announces the hours at which she will 
receive visitors at other times. 

(Mrs. Cleveland, in addition to the public reception ordained by long 
custom, also provided an afternoon card reception to ladies each 
winter. She received her guests in the East Room , refreshments were 
served in the State dining-room, and she was assisted by a number 
of young ladies, stationed in groups in each of the rooms to meet and 
converse with guests. Persons desiring an interview with her at 
other times expressed their wish by letter. In return they received 
an engraved form giving the date and hour. These receptions were 



142 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

held in the Blue Room (p. 82), from 3 to 4 o'clock usually three days 
each week, and were entirely informal. Guests are introduced by an 
usher and remain but a short time. Whether Mrs. McKinley will fol- 
low this gracious precedent, and so crystallize it into a custom likely 
to be adopted by the wives of future Presidents, is not yet announced. 
As the President and wife may or may not make calls, so it is 
entirely at their option whether or not they accept invitations. For 
the last ten years the Cabinet circle has been the limit, but previous 
to that the Presidents accepted hospitalities generally. Under no cir- 
cumstances, however, will either the President or his wife cross the 
threshold of any foreign embassy or legation, although members of 
their families are privileged to do so. 

The hours for the reception of visitors at the Executive Mansion 
change with each administration. The house-rules (p. 74) are always 
posted conspicuously at the entrance. By a custom started by Presi- 
dent Cleveland, during his first term and continued by President 
Harrison, visitors who wish to pay their respects are received on 
Mondays, Wednesday's, and Fridays at i o'clock in the East Room. 
Those having business with the President arrange for interviews 
with his private secretary. 

Social Formalities at Official Houses. — The Vzce-Preszdeftt a.n6. 
wife make only first calls on the President and wife. They enjoy the 
same immunity from returning calls. The same courtesy which 
recognizes the members of the Cabinet as in the official family of the 
President, includes the Senatorial circle in the official family of the 
Vice-President. The Vice-President and wife, therefore, return Sen- 
atorial calls. They receive on New Year's at their own residence, 
first official callers and then the public. Throughout the season, the 
wife of the Vice-President receives callers on Wednesday afternoons 
from 3 to 5. In conversation, the Vice-President is addressed as 
" Mr. Vice-President." 

The wife of the Speaker of the House of Representatives receives 
on Wednesday, at the same hours as the Cabinet ladies. The Speaker 
is addressed as " Mr. Speaker." 

The relative precedence of Cabinet offi.ce7's has been established 
by the wording of the Presidential Succession bill. It is as follows: 
The Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary 
of War, the Attorney-General, the Postmaster-General, the Secretary 
of the Navy, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Secretary of Agri- 
culture. The official designation, preceded by the phrase "The 

Honorable " is the correct form in writmg to any one of them. 

In conversation, a Cabmet officer is addressed as " Mr. Secretary." 



OFFICIAL ETIQUETTE. 143 

The Cabinet ladies receive the public on Wednesday afternoons, 
during the season, from 3 to 5. The name of each guest is announced 
by the butler as the hostess is approached. Each hostess is usually 
assisted, in these formal hospitalities, by a number of ladies — young 
girls predominating. They are expected to address visitors and to 
make their stay pleasant. Callers, except under exceptional circum- 
stances, do not extend their stay over ten or fifteen minutes, and it is 
not necessary that any good-byes should be exchanged with the 
hostess when leaving. As these receptions are frequently attended by 
from four to eight hundred people, who for the most part are strangers, 
the reason for the slight disregard of the usual polite form is obvious. 
No refreshments are now offered, which is also a change from the 
custom which prevailed several years ago. Visitors leave cards. 

Callers wear ordinary visiting dress. The hostess and assistants 
wear high-necked gowns, however elaborate their material and make. 
This fact is mentioned because a few years ago the reverse was the 
case, and low-necked evening dresses were generally worn by the 
receiving party at afternoon receptions. At that period also, men 
frequently appeared on such occasions in full-dress evening suits, 
swallow-tail coats, etc. In fact, full dress on both men and women 
was not unusual at the President's New Year reception, a dozen 
years ago, under the impression then current that street clothes were 
not in keeping with a function second to none in point of ceremony 
from our standpoint, and which was attended by the Diplomatic 
Corps in court dress or in dazzling military or naval uniforms. Cus- 
toms in these matters have changed so entirely that a violation of the 
accepted fashion makes of the offender a subject for ridicule. The 
proper costume for a woman to wear to the President's New Year 
reception is her best visiting-dress with bonnet or hat, the same that 
she would wear at an afternoon reception. A man will dress for the 
President's New Year reception as he will for any other ceremonious 
daylight event. Neither low-necked gowns nor dress suits are per- 
missible until after six o'clock. 

The same proprieties of modern custom in dress should be ob- 
served when attending evening receptions at the White House or else- 
where. Evening dress is imperative, which, in the case of women, 
may mean as elaborate or as simple a toilet as the wearer may select, 
but it implies an uncovered head. Bonnets or hats must not be worn. 

By a rule adopted during the first Cleveland administration, the 
Cabinet ladies do not return calls generally, but do send their cards 



144 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON-. 

once or twice each season as an acknowledgment. The Cabinet 
ladies make the first call upon the ladies of the Supreme Court circle, 
the families of Senators, and the families of foreign ambassadors. 

Cert am days of the week are set apart by custom for making calls 
upon particular groups, and no mistake should be made in this 
respect. The ladies of the Supreme Court families receive callers on 
Monday afternoons, Congressional families on Tuesdays, the Cabinet 
families on Wednesdays, and the Senatorial families on Thursdays, 
with the exception of those residing on Capitol Hill, who observe the 
day of that section, which is Monday. By virtue of another old cus- 
tom, Tuesday is K Street day; Thursday calling day for upper H 
and I streets; Friday for residents of upper F and G streets, and 
Saturday for Connecticut Avenue and vicinity. Calling hours are 
from 3 to 6. 

The discussion which has been going on for years, and is now as 
far from settlement as ever, as to whether Supreme Court Justices 
and families pay the first call to Senators and families, or vice-versa, 
is only of interest to the stranger as a phase of Washington life, 
showing the grave importance given to these points by some official 
households and of the absolute indifference with which they are 
viewed by others. 

The Diplomatic Corps consists of six ambassadors, representing 
Great Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Russia, and Mexico, and 
twenty-five ministers plenipotentiary, of which a circumstantial list 
will be found at the end of this book. They are ranked in the order 
of their seniority. Each embassy and legation has a corps of secre- 
taries and attaches. The British Ambassador, Sir Julian Pauncefote 
is the dean of the corps, having been the first ambassador appointed. 
The diplomat who has had the longest service here, and who, were 
he an ambassador, would be the dean of the corps, is Mr. De Weck- 
herlin, the Netherlands Minister. Official etiquette as regards the 
corps has changed since the coming of ambassadors. Ambassadors 
are given precedence by ministers. By virtue of long-established 
custom, to quote Thomas Jefferson, " foreigh ministers, from the 
necessity of making themselves known, pay the first visit to the 
ministers of the nation, which is returned." Ambassadors claim 
that they only call on the President because that is the habit of 
European countries. It is generally understood that all persons, 
official or otherwise, pay the first call to the embassies. The ladies 
of the Diplomatic Corps have no special day on which to receive 
callers, each household making its own rules in this respect. 



XL 

CHURCHES, ART GALLERIES, THE- 
ATERS, CLUBS, ETC. 



Washington has a great number of Churches of every denomination 
and in all parts of the city. Only a few of the most conspicuous of 
these need be mentioned. The oldest are Rock Creek Church (p. 163 ) , 
near the Soldiers' Home; Christ Church (p. 68), near the Navy Yard, 
and St. John's (p. 122), on Lafayette Square. All these are Episcopal, 
and have been elsewhere described. Other prominent Episcopal 
churches are : Epiphany (G Street, near Fourteenth), which, like 
several other church societies in the city, has a suburban chapel ; the 
Church of the Ascension, at Massachusetts Avenue and Twelfth 
Street ; old St. John's is prominent in Georgetown ; and St. James', 
at Massachusetts Avenue and Eighth Street, N. E., on Capitol Hill, 
is very highly ritualistic. The Roman Catholics have many fine 
churches and a large influence in Washington, fostered by their uni- 
versities. Their oldest church is St. Aloysius, at North Capitol and 
S streets; and St. Matthew's, at Fifteenth and H streets, is probably 
the most fashionable. Congregationalism is represented most prom- 
inently by the First Church, at G and Tenth streets, which has 
always been a leader in religious philanthropy, especially toward the 
Freedmen. The Presbyterian churches are among the oldest and 
largest. The leading one, perhaps, is the First, which remains in 
Four-and-a-half Street, and is still under the care of the venerable 
Dr. Byron Sunderland. This is the church attended by President 
Cleveland. An offshoot from it was the New York Avenue Church , 
whose big house is so conspicuous in the angle between that avenue and 
H Street at Twelfth. Doctor Bartlett, Doctor Paxton, and its present 
pastor. Doctor Radcliffe, have all been celebrated preachers there. 

(145) 
10 



146 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

Out of this has sprung the Gurley Memorial, near Seventh Street and 
the Boundary; and the Church of the Covenant, whose great square 
tower is a conspicuous ornament on Connecticut Avenue. Well- 
known Methodist churches are the Metropolitan, down in Four-and- 
a-half Street; the Foundry Church, at G and Fourteenth streets, 
which President Hayes attended ; and the Hamline, at Ninth and P 
streets. A leading Baptist church is Calvary, at Eighth and H 
streets. The Swedenborgians have a conspicuous white stone build- 
ing at Cochran and Sixteenth streets ; and the Unitarians, the well- 
known Church of All Souls, at Fourteenth and L streets. The 
Universalist meeting house is at L and Thirteenth streets. The 
"Christian" society, of which President Garfield was a member, 
worships in its Memorial Church on Vermont Avenue, between N 
and O streets. The Lutheran Memorial Church, on Thomas Circle, 
is foremost in that denomination, and the service is English. There 
are two Hebrew synagogues. Colored churches are numerous, 
chiefly of the Methodist and Baptist persuasions ; in the former the 
strongest is Asbury, at Eleventh and K streets, and in the latter, the 
Abyssinian, Vermont Avenue and R Street, takes the lead. 

The Art Galleries, properly speaking, are two in number ; but 
those interested in statuary, pictures, and ceramics will find a great 
quantity of all these displayed at the Capitol, in various department 
buildings, on the walls of the new Library of Congress (p. 49), and 
at the National Museum. First on the list, of course, is 

The Corcoran Art Gallery. This has no connection with the 
Government, although its trustees are given a place in the Congres- 
sional Directory. It is wholly the result of the philanthropy of a 
wealthy citizen, William Wilson Corcoran, who died in 1893. " He 
early decided," it has been well said, "that at least one-half of his 
money accumulations should be held for the welfare of men, and he 
kept his self-imposed obligation so liberally that his charities, private 
and public, exceed the amount of $5,000,000, and that 'he left no 
aspect of human life untouched by his beneficence.' " The Corcoran 
Gallery was opened in 1869, in the noble building opposite the War 
Department. This has now been superseded by the splendid new 
gallery, on Seventeenth Street, at New York Avenue, facing the 
Executive grounds. The Corcoran donations, including the old lot 
and building, have been $1,600,000; and about $350,000 have been 
paid by the trustees for paintings, besides what has been given. 
A large number of casts of classic statues, famous bas-reliefs, and 



CHURCHES, ART GALLERIES, ETC. . 147 

smaller carvings in this gallery, are not only beautiful in themselves, 
but of great value to students. 

The new building has a length of 265 feet in Seventeenth Street, 
140 feet in New York Avenue, and 120 feet in E Street. In archi- 
tecture it is Neo-Greek, after the plans of Ernest Flagg of New 
York, and the external walls, above the granite basement, are of 
Georgia marble, white, pure, and brilliant. There are no windows 
on the second, or gallery, floor of the fagade, all the light for the 
exhibition of the pictures coming from the skylight in the roof. The 
only ornaments of this front are about the doorway, which is elabor- 
ately carved, and under the eaves of the roof, wdiere the names of 
the world's famous artists are inscribed in severely simple letters. 
Entering the front door, the visitor is confronted by a grand stair- 
case, on the farther side of the great statuary hall, 170 feet long, 
which occupies the ground floor. This is so lighted by openings 
through the gallery floor that, for the exhibition of casts in delicate 
lights, it can not be surpassed in any other gallery of the world. The 
second, or gallery floor, where the principal pictures will be hung, 
under the great glass roof, is supported by Doric columns of Indiana 
limestone, above which are Ionic columns supporting the roof. On 
this floor are also four gallery rooms, sixty-one feet by twenty -eight, 
and numerous small rooms for the exhibition of water-colors and 
objects of art. On the New York Avenue side is a semicircular 
lecture hall, with a platform and rising floor to the side walls, which, 
with a good skylight, make this room an excellent one for private 
exhibitions. Attached to the gallery is an art school, which will 
have two well-lighted rooms fronting to the north, with accommoda- 
tions for a large number of pupils. It is the intention to give here 
annual art exhibitions of the work of local and other American 
artists and students. 

Among the older and more prominent paintings in the Corcoran 
collection are the following: "The Tornado" by Thomas Cole, 
" The Watering-Place" by Adolphe Schreyer, " Nedjma-Odalisque " 
by Gaston Casimir Saint Pierre, "Edge of the Forest" by Asher 
Brown Durand, " The Vestal Tuccia " by Hector Le Roux, " Mercy's 
Dream" by Daniel Huntington, "Niagara Falls" by Frederick 
Edwin Church, "Caesar Dead" by Jean Leon Gerome, "On the 
Coast of New Jersey" by William T. Richards, "The Helping 
Hand" by Emile Renouf, "The Death of Moses" by Alexander 
Cabanel, " Charlotte Corday in Prison " by Charles Louis Muller, 
" The Passing Regiment" by Edward Detaille, " Wood Gatherers " 
by Jean Baptiste Camille Corot. " The Forester's Home" by Ludwig 



148 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

Knaus, "Virgin and Child" by Murillo, "Christ Bound" by Van 
Dyck, "Landscape" by George Inness, "The Schism" by Jean 
George Vibert, " The Pond of the Great Oak" by Jules Dupre, "A 
Hamlet of the Seine near Vernon " b}^ Charles Frangois Daubigny, 
" Landscape, with Cattle," by Emile Van IMarcke, " Joan of Arc in 
Infancy " by Jean Jacques Henner, "The Banks of the Adige " by 
Martin Rico, "Twilight" by Thomas Alexander Harrison, "The 
Wedding Festival" by Eugene Louis Gabriel Isabey, "The 
Approaching Storm " by Narcisse Virgile Diaz de la Pena, "Moo: 
light in Holland" by Jean Charles Cazin, "Approaching Night" 1 
Max Wey, "Sunset in the Woods" by George Inness, "El Bra^ 
Toro " by Aime Nicholas Morot. Some noteworthy late additioi. 
are: "The Landscape of Historical Bladensburg " (in 18S7); th 
" First Railway in New York" by E. L. Henry; and Charles Guther/ 
(Paris, 1894) great canvas of the " Bering Sea Arbitration Court/ 
which is accompanied by an explanation and key to the portraits. 

The Tayloe Collection is a bequest from the family of Benjami 
Ogle Tayloe, whose richly-furnished home is still standing on Lafay- 
ette Square (p. 123). It consists of some 200 or more objects of art, 
ornament and curious interest, including marbles by Powers, Thor- 
waldsen, Greenough, and Canova; portraits by Gilbert Stuart, Hunt- 
ington, and foreign artists, and many other paintings ; a large num- 
ber of bronze objects and pieces of furniture, including Washing- 
ton's card-table and other pieces that belonged to eminent men, and 
a large series of porcelain, glass, ivory, and other objects, which are 
both historically and artistically interesting. A special catalogue for 
this collection is .sold at 5 cents. 

The gallery is open on week days from 9.30 a. m. till 4.00 p. m. 
On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays an admission fee of 25 cents 
is charged; on other days admission is free; also on Friday evenings, in 
winter, from 7.30 till 10.00, admission free. From July 15th to Sep- 
tember 15th, the gallery is closed. A catalogue is sold at 25 cents. 

The Waggaman Gallery ought surely to be examined by all 
cultivated travelers. It is at No. 3300 O Street, Georgetown, and is 
easily reached by either the F Street or Pennsylvania Avenue street- 
cars. This gallery is the private acquisition of Mr. E. Waggaman, 
and contains a large number of fine paintings, the specialty being 
Dutch water-colors, where the HoUandish style and choice of subjects 
are well exhibited. The most striking and valuable part of the col 
lection, however, is undoubtedly that representing Japanese work ' 
pottery, stone, and metal. The series of tea jars, antique porcelair 
and modern wares, showing rare glazes and the most highly-priz. 
colors, is extensive and well chosen; and a wonderful array d 
bronzes and artistic work in other metals in the form of swords, 
sword-guards, bells, utensils of various forms and capacities, and dec- 
orative compositions, excites the enthusiasm of connoisseurs in thi? 




HALL OF SCULPTURE, 'C 




ORAN GALLERY OF ARTS. 



CHURCHES, ART GALLERIES, ETC. 149 

department. The gems of this superb cabinet, however, are the 
articles of jade, in which this collection has few superiors; among 
which the translucent plaques of carved jade, if not unique in the 
United States, are certainl}^ unsurpassed. A large number of ivory- 
carvings, teakwood stands of exquisite design, and other curiosi- 
ties of oriental art and workmanship, make this gallery notable. 

Visitors are admitted upon Thursdays, during January, Febru- 
ary, March, and April, between ii and 4 o'clock of each week, by 
paying 50 cents for each admission toward a charitable fund. 

The magnificent Walters' Galleries in Baltimore (No. 5 Mount 
Vernon Place) are so easily and frequently visited from Washington, 
and are of such importance, that they ought to be mentioned here. 
They are the private collection of the late William T. Walters, kindly 
opened to the public during certain winter months, by his son, Henry 
Walters; and they excel not only anything in America, but in special 
lines, as oriental porcelains, bronzes, etc., and certain classes of pic- 
tures, surpass anything else anywhere. The collection of modern 
paintings is unequaled for quality in the whole world. These art- 
treasures are visible each Wednesday, from February to May; and 
tickets may be had in Washington of Harris & Shaler, 11 13 Pennsyl- 
vania Avenue. 

The Theaters in Washington attract the finest traveling com- 
panies, including occasional grand opera. The newest and most 
ornate house is the Lafayette Square Opera House, occupying an 
historic site (p. 123) on Lafayette Square. Another large theater 
is the Grand (formerly Allen's) Opera House, on Fifteenth Street, at 
the corner of E Street, one block south of Pennsylvania Avenue. The 
new National Theater, on Pennsylvania Avenue, between Thirteenth 
and Fourteenth streets, is of great capacity and comfort, and holds 
the popularity it gained long ago. The Academy of Music is another 
well-known house, at Ninth and D streets. The Columbia is the 
newest addition to the commendable theaters. It is at 11 12 F Street, 
occupying what formerly was Metzerott Hall. Kernan's Lyceum, at 
1014 Pennsylvania Avenue, and Butler's Bijou give variety shows. 

Willard's Hall and certain churches are the principal places for lec- 
tures, and the like, but scientific lectures are usually heard in the hall 
at the National Museum or in the lecture room of the Cosmos Club. 

Conveiitioji Hall is an immense arched apartment over a market 
where New York Avenue crosses L and Fifth streets, and is intended 
for the use of the great conventions that more and more seek to meet 
in this city. In winter it is a skating rink. 

The Clubs of the capital are not among its " sights," but should 



150 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

receive a few words. Most prominent among them is the Metropol- 
itan, which has ah-eady been characterized (p. I2q). Next in social 
importance, probably, is the Army and Navy, which has a hand- 
some six-story building opposite the southeastern corner of Farragut 
Square. Its triangular lot has enabled the architect to make a 
series of very charming principal rooms, in the northwestern front, 
where the stmshine streams in nearly all day. These and the many 
connecting apartments are luxuriously furnished and adorned with 
pictures, including original portraits of a dozen or more of the princi- 
pal commanders of the army and navy, from Paul Jones to W. T. 
Sherman. Only those identified with some military organization are 
eligible to membership, but the club is very liberal in extending a 
welcome to visiting militiamen, foreign military men, and others 
suitably introduced. One feature of this club is the informal pro- 
fessional lecture given to the members once a month by some expert. 

The Cosmos, the Columbia Athletic Club, the Country Club, near 
corner of Seventeenth and I streets. The Cosmos has been referred 
to elsewhere (p. 127); and the Columbia Athletic Club is a large asso- 
ciation of young men, partly social and partly athletic, which has a fine 
new house and gymnasium on F Street, and a field in the gardens 
of the old Van Ness mansion (p. 107). The Country Club, near 
Tennallytown, and the Chevy Chase Club have already been men- 
tioned. Allied to them, within the city, are several clubs of bicycle 
riders, tennis and ball players, and boatmen, Washington being a 
place famous for oarsmen. The two women's clubs must not be for- 
gotten: One is the fashionable Washington Club, on H Street, oppo- 
site the French Embassy, and the other the Workifig Womeii's 
Club, a purely social organization, at No. 606 Eleventh Street, com- 
posed of women who earn their living — physicians, journalists, stenog- 
raphers, etc. Both these clubs give teas, musicals, and other femi- 
nine entertainments. The Alibi is a coterie of well-fed gentlemen 
who give charming feasts, largely of their own cooking, and cultivate 
a refined Bohemianism; while the Gridiron is a dining club of news- 
paper men, who have a jolly dinner among themselves once a month, 
and an annual spread to which all the great men available are in- 
vited, and where most of them are good-naturedly guyed. 

The Young Men's Christian Associatio)i ^oMv\'&\iQ,^\\QVQ, 2iXv^\Vi 
1898 took possession of the fine house and gymnasium built by the 
Columbia Athletic Club on G Street, N. E., to which are attached 
grounds for athletic exercises on the old Van Ness estate (p. 107). 



CHURCHES, ART GALLERIES, ETC. 151 

The Halls of the Aficieji/s is the title given to a permanent 
exhibition of ancient architecture and art at Nos. 1312 to 13 iS New 
York Avenue. Open 9.00 a. m. to 10.00 p. m. ; admission, 50 cents. 
The projector is Mr. F. W. Smith of Boston, who has in view " the 
promotion of National Galleries of History and Art. " Leasing a large 
plot of ground, he has reared upon it a building for the concrete 
exhibition of the social life and art of ancient peoples. 

"The trouble with most museums," Mr. Smith asserts, "is that 
they deal with dead things exclusively when they deal with antiqui- 
ties at all. A room full of mummies is, doubtless, interesting in its 
way, but I do not believe the student of ancient history gets so good 
a background for his studies from such an exhibition as from one in 
which he is actually introduced into the midst of the domestic, social, 
and religious life of the people of whom he has read —their surround- 
ings, in other words, before they became mummies. We gather in 
museums an endless variety of fragmentary relics, and we call that 
a contribution to popular education. But how much more can we do 
toward educating the people if we can show them, through their 
eyes, just what use was made of each of these relics while it was still 
in touch with the life of its period, the part it played in the daily 
activities of its owner, and the influence it presumptively had on its 
career." 

The ancient nationalities illustrated are Egyptian, Assyrian, 
Graeco-Roman, and Saracenic peoples. 

The Egyptian Portal is a reproduction of a section of the Hypo- 
style Hall of Karnak in exact size of the original ; columns 70 feet 
high and 12 feet in diameter. It is the entrance to the Hall of 
Columns, more grand in dimensions and beautiful in color than that 
(the Saulenhof) built by Lepsius in the museum at Berlin, and con- 
tains twelve decorated columns in three styles — the Lotus Bud, the 
Palm, and Hathor capitals — with wall decorations and the throne 
pavilion reproduced by Lepsius. 

The Upper Egyptia7t Hall contains the beautiful interior of an 
Egyptian house and court designed by Racinet. The larger section, 
33 feet by 42 feet, is for illustration of the arts and crafts of the 
Egyptians. A dado 72 feet in length displays a facsimile in color of 
the Papyrus of Ani, or Book of the Dead, from the British Museum. 
On the staircase wall is a copy, 10 feet by 7 feet, of Richter's 
" Building of the Pyramids," and, adjacent, one of like size of Long's 
" Egyptian Feast;" also a cast of the Rosetta Stone. 

The Assyrian Throne Room is gorgeous in blue and gold. A 
section is walled with casts from the Nineveh and Nimroud slabs in 

11 



152 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

the British Museum, and paintings of others. The portal is between 
the four colossal human-headed bulls found in the Palace of Sen- 
nacherib. The Throne of Xerxes from Persepolis is set up here. 

The Roman House upon the ground floor, with entrance from the 
Hall of Columns, covers 10,000 square feet. Its decorations, which 
cover more than 15,000 square feet of surface, are copied in part from 
the beautiful House of Vettius. This exceeds in size and complete- 
ness Mr. Smith's well-known House of Panza in Saratoga. 

The Tabema (shop) occupies the lower floor of the Roman House, 
and contains superb illustrations of Greek vases, full size. Replica 
copies thereof will be made for supplying schools and individuals 
with models of form and beauty in decoration. 

The Lecture Hall, in Persian style of ornamentation, contains 
the painting of the Grandeur of Rome in the time of Constantine, 
covering more than 500 square feet, after the original by Buhlmann 
and Wagner of Munich. 

The Saracefu'c Halls are a precise counterpart of the beautiful 
interior of the House of Benzaquin in Tangiers, and a hall with 
gallery plated with casts of traceries from the Alhambra. 

The Art Gallery is devoted to illustrations of Roman History. 
The walls are surrounded by 102 plates from Pinelli's " Istoria Ro- 
mana" — engravings in historical order from the foundation of Rome. 

Visitors will be attended in the halls by expositors upon the most 
interesting objects and illustrations. Mr. Smith will speak in expla- 
nation, at intervals, to audiences in the different halls. A descrip- 
tive hand-book will be issued to visitors. 

The icltimate object of this tcnique display is to show the impor- 
tance of carrying out Mr. Smith's plan for National Galleries, exhibit- 
ing ancient history, religion, social life, industry, and art, upon a life- 
size scale. He suggests taking the now waste ground of the old 
Naval Observatory near the river front, and, by proper terracing, 
making a place for four large illustrative buildings, each architec- 
turally typical, and dividing the interiors into rooms laid out and 
ornamented and furnished as nearly as possible like the rooms in 
which the ancients lived. A model of the whole scheme is displayed 
upon a small scale in the present exhibition. The great educational 
value such an enterprise would have is the reason for its existence. 



XII. 
EXCURSIONS ABOUT WASHINGTON. 



1. To Mount Veruon. 

The pilgrimage to the home and tomb of George Washington at 
Mount Vernon is regarded by most Americans as a duty as well as 
a pleasure, and foreigners look upon it as a compliment due to the 
nation. It forms, moreover, a delightful excursion. 

Mount Vernon is on the right bank of the Potomac, sixteen miles 
below Washington. The lands about it were a part of an extensive 
grant to John Washington, the first of the family who came to 
America in 1656, and they descended rather fortuitously, in 1752, to 
George, then hardly more than a lad. He married in 1759, and 
continued to develop and beautify the estate tmtil the breaking out 
of the Revolution, when the ability he had shown in the Virginia 
militia called him to the service of the United Colonies. He returned 
to Mount Vernon at the close of the war, but, to his grief, was 
obliged soon to quit its beloved acres for the cares of the first Presi- 
dency of the Republic. During this interval of five years an almost 
continuous stream of visitors had been entertained there, and among 
them were many foreigners of note as well as representative Ameri- 
cans of the time. Finally, in 1797, the great commander was released 
from the cares of government, and enabled to retire, to pass, as 
he hoped, many quiet and enjoyable )^ears upon his plantation. A 
most interesting account of life at Mount Vernon and its neighbor- 
hood at this time may be found in an illustrated article by Constance 
Cary Harrison in The Century for April, 1SS9. Only two years were 
vouchsafed him, however, for on December 14, 1799, he died of mem- 
branous croup (or barbarous medical treatment) following exposure 
in a storm. He was buried iipon his own estate, and the family 
declined to accept the subsequent invitation of Congress to transfer 
the body to the Capitol at Washington. 

(15i) 



154 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

For sixteen years Washington cultivated his great farm and lived 
tlic usual life of a Virginia planter. He raised large quantities of 
tobacco, which he shipped to London direct from his own wharf at 
Mount Vernon. He had no ambition for public life after his term of 
service in the Virginia legislature had expired, and was content with 
the pursuit of agriculture and the social pleasures of a country gen- 
tleman. He had some of the best society in Virginia — "the polite, 
wealthy, and fashionable " — was a profuse and liberal host, was fond 
of fox hunting, fishing, fowling, and athletic sports, and was happy 
in his home "and domestic relations. His wnfe was thoroughly 
domestic in her tastes and habits, and a careful housekeeper. — Moore. 

Washington's property, estimated as worth $530,000, descended, at 
the death of Mrs. Washington, here, in 1802, to Bushrod Washington, 
then a Justice of the Supreme Court, who died in 1829, leaving the 
estate to his nephew, John Augustine Washington, from wdiom it 
passed by legacy, in 1832, to his widow, and from her, in 1S55, to her 
son. He proposed to sell it, when a Southern lady, Miss Ann Pamela 
Cunningham, secured the refusal of it, and, after failing to interest 
Congress in her proposal that the Government should buy and preserve 
it as a memorial, succeeded in arousing the women of ^le country. 
An association of these women, with representatives from every State, 
was incorporated by Virginia in 1856, and it paid $200,000 for the 
property (some 200 acres), covenanting to hold it in perpetuity. The 
admission fee of 25 cents goes to the payment of current expenses. 

The direct water route to Mount Vernon is by the comfort- 
able steamer "Charles Macalester," built for the association, which 
leaves the wharves at the foot of Seventh Street daily except Sunday, 
at 10.00 a. m., and returns at 2.30 p. m.; in summer the hour is 9.00 
o'clock, and there is an afternoon trip, returning late in the evening. 
Only round-trip tickets are sold (75 cents), including admission 
(25 cents) to the grounds. This steamer also goes on to Notley Hall 
and Marshall Hall. (For Electric Cars to Mount Vernon see p. 160.) 

The Potomac River trip is one of great enjoyment on a fine day. 
As the steamer moves out into the stream, it rides in a broad tidal 
channel dredged for harbor purposes by the Government and kept 
full by a tidal reservoir above. The long artificial island which sep- 
arates this harbor from the river itself will hereafter become a park. 
On the city shore, immediately below the wharves, appears the 
pleasant parade of the military post on Greenleaf's Point. 

Washington Barracks, or The Arsenal, as it is still more com- 



EXC UR SIGNS ABOUT WA SHING TON . 155 

monly called, is a military post on the peninsula between the Poto- 
mac and its eastern branch. Its land entrance is at the foot of Four- 
and-one-half Street, and is reached by both the Metropolitan com- 
pany's street cars and the cable line on Seventh Street. A trifling set- 
tlement styled Carrollsburg, with an earthen breast-high battery, 
existed on the extremity of this point, which was called Turkey 
Buzzard or Greenleaf's Point when the city was laid out; and in 1803 
the peninsula was reserved for military purposes as far as T Street 
S. W. What few buildings were there in 1S14 were destroyed by the 
British, who lost a large number of men by drop]3ing a "port-fire" 
into a dry well where a great quantity of navy powder had been 
hidden, thus producing an impromptu volcano. In 1S26 the northern 
end of the reservation, as far back as U Street, denoted by the jog 
in the river wall on the Potomac side, was walled off as a site for a 
district penitentiary. A building was erected having a yard with a 
high inclosing wall, and here, in 1S65, were confined the conspirators 
in the assassination of Lincoln. Four of them were hung and buried 
there, and the others sent to distant prisons. The body of J. Wilkes 
Booth and later of Wirz (p. 67) were also buried there. 

Exactly where this execution and the interments were made is not 
accurately known, but it is believed that the gallows was planted 
near the circular flower bed now in front of the commandant's door, 
and that the bodies w^ere buried near its foot. All were soon after- 
ward removed, the penitentiary was swept away, the limits of the 
military reservation were advanced to P Street, and, in 1S81, the 
arsenal was abolished. 

The verdant parade, with its flag, and guns, and avenue of big 
trees; its former storehouses, which during the war contained enor- 
mous quantities of arms and ammunition, and are now used as 
barracks; and its quadrangle of officers' quarters at the extreme 
point, make a pretty picture as we float past. Its present occupants 
are five companies of the Fourth Artillery. As it is the headquarters 
of that regiment, it has the band, and during the pleasant half of the 
year, guard-mounting at 9.00 a. m.,and dress-parade at 5.00 p.m. 
are conducted wnth much ceremony, while battery drills can be seen 
almost any morning at ten or eleven o'clock. 

The Anacostia River then opens broadly at the left, and the 
navy yard and southern front of the city are exposed to view. On 
the further bank looms up the great Governmejit Hospital for the 
Insane, which cost $1,000,000, and is one of the finest institutions of 
its kind in the world. It is primarily intended for demented men of 
the cxmy and navy; and there Lieutenant Gushing, of torpedo-boat 
fame, and Capt. McGiffin.the hero of Yalu, ended their blighted days. 

The low, level grounds of Giesboro Point, bordering the river 
below the asylum, were occupied during the war as cavalry camps 
and drilling stations. Opposite it is the broad estuary of Four-Mile 
Run. Alexandria now comes into view. 



150 



HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 



Alexandria began, under the name of Bellhaven, in 174S, and had 
a promising early career. ' ' It rapidly became an important port, and 
developed an extensive foreign trade. It was well known in the 
great English commercial cities. General Washington, Governor 
Lee, and other prominent Virginians interested themselves in its 
development, and at one time it was thought it would become a 
greater city than Baltimore. Warehouses crowded with tobacco, and 
flour and corn, lined its docks, and fleets of merchant vessels filled its 
harbor." The founding and advancement of Washington and the 
building of railroads, which diverted traffic to inland channels, 
destroyed its importance, and the coming of Civil War ruined it 
socially. Here the Union troops began their " invasion " of Virginia 
soil, and here fell Ellsworth— the first notable victim of the conflict. 
The old hotel where he pulled down the Confederate flag is now 
hidden away in the reconstructed Braddock House. 

Alexandrians can point out to strangers many quaint and inter- 
esting places, houses, monuments, and relics in the town, which has 
little other interest for the traveler; the principal curiosity is Christ 
C/iun/i, in which Washington's family and all the respectable per- 
sons of his neighborhood used to worship. It has been kept as near 
as may be as it was in those days ; and the old square pew in which 
" His Excellency, the General," used to sit, gazing up at the high 
l)ulpit during the long and strong sermons, is still pointed out. An 
afternoon can be spent profitably in Alexandria under good guidance. 

The steamer stops at Alexandria both going and coming. There 
is also a ferry running a boat hourly between Alexandria and Wash- 
ington, and the railroads run trains back and forth at short intervals ; 
two ferries cross the river, and electric cars run southward to Mount 
Vernon, and northward to Arlington and Georgetown, so that the 
town is easy to get into and out of. 

Just below Alexandria is the deep bay called Hunting Creek, at 
the head of which was Fort Lyon, one of the strongest of the Civil 
War fortifications. This creek gave its name to the Washington 
plantation before Lawrence Washington named it " Mount Vernon," 
in conq)liment to an admiral with whom he had served. At its mouth 
\<, Jones Point, where the southern corner-post of the original dis- 
trict was placed by Washington with Masonic ceremonies, and 
where the men of that day proposed that a great monument should 
be erected. Near here is a little stopping-place called Gioiston 
Landinjt^, where some of the river-boats stop to take on milk and 
vegetables for the city market. It is the ancient landing for the 
(•state of the eminent Mason family, whose colonial seat, Gunston 
Hall, is still standing a short distance inland, though no longer in 




THE McCLELLAN GATE AT ARLINGTON. 



EXCURSIONS ABOUT WA SHING TON. 157 

possession of the Masons. It was a familiar calling-place for Wash- 
ington, his nearest neighbor in fact. 

On the hilly Maryland side of the Potomac, toward which the 
boat now heads, was another commanding earthwork. Fort Foote, 
once of military importance. This fort was kept in repair for years 
after the Civil war, and the United States still owns its site. The 
next stop is made, about twelve miles below the city, at 

Fort Washington, a historic fort on a point of the Maryland 
shore, within sight of Mount Vernon and commanding the channel. 
Tradition says that the early explorers of the Potomac found an 
Indian " castle" here, and that Washington advised the building of 
a fort on this headland, as soon as the District of Columbia was 
created. L'Enfant drew the plans as his last public work, and a 
strong fortress was begun, but was blown up by the Americans in 
1812, when they heard that the British were coming. It was rebuilt 
in 1898, under the threat of war with Europe, and made the principal 
defense of the capital against sea-attack. The principal battery con- 
sists of five 8-inch rifles, mounted on disappearing carriages, behind 
enormous embankments of earth and concrete, 200 feet above the 
river-level. These guns command the river for a distance of twenty 
miles, and have an extremely accurate range of over six miles. 
Fort She?'zda7i is being constructed, nearly opposite, where will be 
mounted two huge 12-inch rifles, having an even longer range and 
more destructive fire, besides several 8-inch guns. Arrangements 
are making for the placing of sub-aquatic mines in the river when- 
ever needed, controlled from these forts. It is believed that it would 
be impossible for an enemy to reach the capital by sailing up the 
river. The only hope of reduction of the forts would be from the 
land side, and here elaborate defenses, to be defended by mortar 
batteries, fixed and field artillery, and large bodies of infantry, are 
in process of construction. Extensive barracks are building at Fort 
Washington, which is destined to become, probably, the most impor- 
tant garrison station near the capital. 

The approach to Mount Vernon impresses one with the sightli- 
ness of the situation and the dignity of the mansion, which shines 
among the trees from an elevation 150 feet above the landing wharf. 

" In the summer. Mount Vernon is a mass of foliage to the river's 
edge. It has a great growth of ancient trees and luxuriant under- 
growth. Like all the region in which it is located, it is thickly 
wooded, and from the river has an exceedingly picturesque appear- 



ir)8 HAiVDY GUIDE TO IVASf/l.VGTO^/. 

""^^^■l Tpu "''^"^^«" ^s ve^y nearly concealed by the trees surround- 
ing it. There IS only one place as you approach it from the north 
where , can be seen at all. Approaching it from the south nodih g 
of It can be seen .save a small part of the roof. From the south thi 
river curves directly to the estate. Until you get within a sh rt dfs^ 
tancc o ,t a high, jutting bank hides it from vilw. When the bank "s 
passed the estate comes boldly in sight and presents a most beautifiil 
appearance It is located on an elevation- the highest poi ttn the 
\.irg.n.a .side of the Potomac -and from the ground! de iehtfu^ 
^l^^^^^^^r^- ^-^^^^--^ ^^--1^ openin^ffn'^t^l 
The Tomb of Washington is the first object of attention, and 
stands immediately at the head of the path from the landing. Its 
position, small dimensions, and plain form of brick were dictated by 
W a.shmgton in his will. The back part of it, extending into the bank 
and closed by iron doors, entombs the bodies of about thirty members 
and relatives of the family. The front part, closed by plain iron gates 
through which anyone may look, contains two plain sarcophagi' 
each excavated from a single block of marble, which were made and 
presented by John Struthers, of Philadelphia, in 1837. That one in 
the center of the little inclosure holds the mortal remains of the 
Ivither of his Country, within the mahogany coffin in which they 
were originally placed. At his left is the body of his ''consort,'' 
Martha ^\ ashington. The old family tomb, in which both were first 
buned, IS to be found at the right of the path on the way to the 
house. In front of the present tomb are the graves of some of 
\\ ashington s nearest descendants, marked by inscribed obelisks 
A paved walk leads up the slope past the ^arn, built by Lawrence 
ashington, m 1733, of imported bricks, and the coac/^ /Lse, where 
fnlfin i 1 'T ^^«f""^«y «1^1 family coach, that was thought so 
n.ie m Its day; beyond it is the /c^fc/la^, with a capacious fireplace 
ami connected by a curving colonnade, along which went ^he gL^^^^^^^^^ 

tlio liume of America's hero and model 
tur"; '1r,s'°4',t"ofwo«f !::"?• ""■•,^h^«l^''"e one arehitec- 

level of u(el'r<^^,„rThThous?wm',ff "'''''"'' '"'*'' ^'""« «' the 
appearances'; outside or ins de ^^ bSui T^^^^^^ h'lotf ""«'°" '°' 

i\;^u'r:iTern^ror";;^^^^^^^^^ 

architectural si.ht, witS 's:^^.::^^^^^^^::^^^ 1,- 



EXCURSIONS ABOUT WASIUSfGTOM. 159 

this side, no doubt, that the Washingtons would have deemed the 
"front" of the house, had they ever defined it. The rooms are 
mostly small and low, and only the simplest ornamentation of the 
woodwork, ceilings, and mantels appears; yet everything is gen- 
uine, neat, and cosy. It was by no means the finest mansion of 
its day, but it was snug and well provided, and no doubt its owner 
was quite contented with it, caring more, after all, for things out of 
doors than in, and more concerned with having his house comfort- 
able, and able to accommodate his friends, than to have it appear a 
palace. 

In the happy years when Washington had settled down, as he 
believed and hoped, " to pass an unclouded evening after the stormy 
day of life," the house was greatly altered. Restored and extended, 
as a recent historian has explained, Mount Vernon was filled with 
trophies and souvenirs of its owner's glory. Even the grand mantel- 
piece of Italian marble in the chief parlor had been sent by an 
admirer of the General in London, together with two vases of old 
blue Indian porcelain. But the habits of the family were unchanged, 
remaining always on the unostentatious old Virginian lines. The 
records and accounts and gossipy letters of the time give delightful 
glimpses of the home-life — tell us, for example, how Nelly Custis, 
then a jolly girl, fond of outdoor amusements, detested the required 
practice upon the very harpsichord which is one of the most interest- 
ing relics now displayed in the Mansion. It was given to her by 
Washington, together with his grand military plume, when she 
married Laurance Lewis in 1798. " When the hour came the tall, 
majestic figure emerged from his bedroom clad in the. old, worn 
continental buff and blue . . . and at the appointed moment 
gave the pretty, blushing creature, with her wild-rose cheeks and 
dark and liquid eyes, into the keeping of his trusted nephew, 
Laurance." It is such gracious, homely pictures as these that rise 
to the imagination as one loiters about the storied homestead of the 
Father of his Country. 

It is, however, the undulating lawns, the noble trees, and grace- 
fully disposed shrubberies, with the vistas between them of the broad 
river and far-away Maryland hills, that will attract the visitor most ; 
and he will delight to wander through the " vineyard inclosure," 
behind the kitchen and stable, and then go over to the flower garden 
and revel in the roses that grow almost all the year round, between 
dense hedges of box defining the pathways and beds. We are told 
that one of the regular afternoon pleasures of ^ladam Washington 
was the gathering of rose leaves here to make rosewater and a per- 
fumed unguent. 

A considerable quantity of furniture that belonged to the Wash- 
ington family came into possession of the association with the house; 
and many more articles of furniture and ornament have been 
acquired since. The plan Avas early adopted of assigning a single 



100 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

room to a State, which placed within it furniture and household arti- 
cles of that time. It is needless in this book to go into a description 
of what these rooms are or their contents, since nearly everj^thing is 
fully labeled; and if any further details are needed by the visitor, let 
him buy one of the pamphlets issued by the association, and thus 
add to its funds as well as increase his information — two very desir- 
able objects gained for a quarter of a dollar! 

There is no eating-house at Mount Vernon, though one may buy 
Ciikes and a glass of milk in the old kitchen. Excellent meals may 
be had upon the steamboat, however, 

Marshall Hall, the end of the steamboat's route, is an old estate 
of that name on the Maryland shore, some miles below Mount Ver- 
non, which is now a summer pleasure resort, with restaurants, dan- 
cing platforms, swings, merry-go-rounds, and similar amusements. 
It is a lively but orderly place, much frequented in summer. River- 
view and Notley Hall are similar riverside summer resorts reached 
by the steamboats. 

Electric Cars to Mount Vernon. — The cars of the Washington, 
Alexandria & Mount Vernon Electric Railway are run in trains 
hourly from 8.00 a. m. to 8.00 p. m., from the corner of Pennsylvania 
Avenue and Thirteen-and-a-half Street to Alexandria, Mount Vernon, 
and Arlington. These cars pass down Fourteenth Street and across 
Long Bridge into Alexandria. A mile beyond the bridge, passengers 
may change to the branch line to Arlington and Aqueduct Bridge. 
Continuing, the line traverses Alexandria, and skirts the shore of the 
Potomac to a terminal at the rear gate of the Mount Vernon estate. 
An excursion, and satisfactory view of Mount Vernon, may be made 
by this route in about three hours. 




THE SHERIDAN GATE AT ARLINGTON. 



EXCURSIONS ABOUT WASHINGTON. 161 

2. To Arlington, Fort Miyer, and Falls Cliurcli. 

Arlington Cemetery is reached by electric trains from Pennsyl- 
vania Avenue at Thirteen-and-a-half Street., via Alexandria, once 
every hour ; or by way of Georgetown. From the Georgetown 
terminus of the Pennsylvania Avenue, a short walk is made across 
Aqueduct Bridge to Roslyn, Va., where electric cars may be taken 
for the main (Sheridan) gate of the cemetery, or to the rear entrance, 
next to Fort Myer, every half hour. The latter is the more conven- 
ient course, as it enables a visitor to see as much as he pleases of 
Fort Myer, and then walk through the cemetery upon level ground, 
instead of climbing the long hill from the lower gates. He may 
then descend to either gate and take the Alexandria cars back to 
Washington, or on to Mount Vernon, via Alexandria. 

Arlington. This old home of the colonial aristocracy is not only 
closely identified with the annals of early Virginia, but with the 
political development of the country. It was bought, as a tract of 
1, 1 60 acres, for ;^ii.ooo, by John Custis, who, early in the eighteenth 
century, came from the Eastern shore to live on his new property. 
His was one of the " first families of Virginia ' in every sense of the 
word, and possessed great wealth; but he had various domestic 
troubles, one of which was, that his high-spirited son, Daniel Parke 
Custis, insisted upon neglecting a high-born heiress, prepared by his 
parents for his future consort, and marrying, instead, pretty Martha 
Dandridge, the belle of Williamsburg, the colonial capital. The old 
gentleman was very angr3^ until one day, we are told, Martha Dan- 
dridge met him at a social gathering, and fairly captivated him. 
The marriage was made and prospered, and, when old Custis died, 
his son and his wife came into possession and residence here at 
Arlington, where Daniel soon died, leaving Martha a young widow 
with two children, John Parke and Eleanor Custis. His will entailed 
this estate to his son, and divided his other property, the wife receiv- 
ing, as her share, lands and securities worth, perhaps, $100,000. In 
due time this rich and blooming widow re-entered society, where 
she presently became acquainted with a colonial colonel, who had 
recently achieved military fame in Braddock's expedition against 
Fort Duquesne. He livecl with his mother at Mount Vernon, only 
fifteen miles below, and his name was George Washington. It was 
not long before he had wooed and won the charming and opulent 
widow, who laid aside her weeds and went with her t\vo children to 
live at her husband's home. Together they managed and cared for 
the Arlington estate, until its young owmer should come of age, and 
both were often there. The daughter died, but the son grew to 
manhood, received his noble property, married a Calvert, and served 
upon his step-father's staff during the latter part of the Revolution. 
Then he, too, died(i78i), and his two infant children were adopted 
by Washington and deeply loved. They kept their own names, how- 
ever, and Nelly, who seemed to have inherited the beauty of her 



162 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

grandmother, married Major Lewis, a Virginian. Her brother, 
George Washington Parke Custis, upon reaching his majority, 
inherited and took possession of Arlington, at the beginning of the 
present century; and immediately began the erection of the present 
mansion, which, therefore. Washington himself, never saw, since he 
died December 13, 1799, while this house was not completed until 
1803. A few months afterward, Mr. Custis married Mary Lee Fitz- 
hugh, one of the Randolphs, and four children were born to them, 
but only one survived, a daughter, Mary. The Cuslls family lived 
at Arlington, improving and beautifying the estate, winning the 
good opinion of all who knew them, and entertaining handsomely 
imtil the death of Mrs. Custis, in 1S53, and of her husband, the last 
male of his family, in 1857, The estate then fell to the daughter, 
who, meanwhile, had married a young army officer, Robert E. Lee, 
son of " Lighthorse Harry" Lee, the dashing cavalryman of the 
Revolution, entwining into the story of the estate another strand of 
the best fabric of Virginian society. Arlington immediately became 
the home of this officer, and when the Civil War came, and Colonel 
Lee went out of the Union with his State, his greatest personal sac- 
rifice, no doubt, was the thought of leaving Arlington. Indeed, so 
little did he foresee that he w^as going to be the leader of a four-years' 
struggle, that he took away none of the furniture, and very few even 
of the great number of relics of Washington, many of intrinsic as 
well as historic value, which the house contained. P'^ederal troops at 
once took possession of the estate, and ever3^thing of historical value 
was seized by the Government, so that most of the collection, with 
other relics, is now to be seen at the National Museum. Arlington 
could not be confiscated, because entailed; but the non-payment of 
taxes made a pretext for its sale, when it was bought in for $23,000, 
by the United States Government, which established the mili- 
tary cemetery here in 1864. When, several years after the war. 
G. W. Custis Lee inherited the estate, he successfully disputed, in 
the Supreme Court, the legality of the tax-sale, but at once trans- 
ferred his restored rights to the Government for $150,000, which was 
paid him in 1884. 

Arlington is a fine example of the architecture of its era, and 
resembles Jefferson's mansion at Monticello. Its upper floor is occu- 
pied by the official in charge, but the lower rooms are mainly empty, 
and visitors are content wnth a glance at them, preferring the open 
air and light of the lawns and gardens about the house, and the 
groves that now cover the adjacent fields, which, since 1864, have 
been devoted to the sacred purposes of a 

National Military Cemetery. Here, behind the inscribed arch 
of the great gate, made from the marble pillars of the old War Depart- 
ment building, and under the oaks that belonged to the greatest of 
" the enemy," sleep almost a score of thousands of Union soldiers, and 
every year sees the eternal enlistment in their ranks of many more. 



EXCURSIONS ABOUT ]VASinNGTON. 163 

On the bluff overlooking Llic spacious i\\\\ beautiful landscape 
toward the river and cit3^ are the graves and monuments of some of 
the Union's latest and most distinguished defenders. Here lies 
General Philip H. Sheridan, beneath a grand memorial stone; 
Adm. David D. Porter, Maj.-Gen. George II. Crook, whose mon- 
ument bears a bronze bas-relief of the surrender of the Apache Gero 
nimo; INIaj.-Gen. Abner Doubleday, the historian of Gettysburg; (Gen- 
erals ]Mci2;s, Ricketts,Benet, and Watkins; Colonel Berdan of "sharp- 
shooter " fame, and others. In the rear of the mansicin is a miniature 
temple upon whose columns are engraved the names of great Ameri- 
can soldiers; and a lovely amphitheater of columns, vine-embowered, 
where Decoration Day ceremonies and. open-air burial services may 
be conducted. Near it is a great granite mausoleum in which repose 
the bones of 2,111 unknown soldiers gathered after the war from the 
battle-field of Bull Rtm, and thence to the Rappahannock. It is sur- 
rounded by cannon and bears a memorial inscription. A driveway 
and paved footwalk crosses the cemetery inclosure (which embraces 
within a low stone wall about 250 acres) to the western gate at the 
tramway terminus next to Fort Myer. To the left (south) of this 
path stretches away through the w^oods an immense area of soldiers' 
graves in parallel rows, level with the sod, and each having its little 
marble headstone. Half a mile south of the Mansion are buried 336 
soldiers who fell in Cuba in 1898. Down in the woods at the foot of 
the hill are other serried ranks of the fallen " boys in blue," and along 
the brow of the slope, at the right of the path, rest many offlcers of 
the army and navy whose names are familiar in every patriotic 
home. Such are Harney, Ingalls, McKibbin, Gregg, Gleason, King, 
Hazen, Tourtellotte, Marthor. Myer, and many others; and several 
of the mortuary monuments have great appropriateness. The total 
number of burials here is now over 16,000. 

Fort Myer occupies a large area of the old estate adjoining the 
cemetery on the north, but separated from it by a ravine up which 
the tramway makes its way from the aqueduct bridge. This is a 
cavalry post of the army, capable of accommodating a whole reg- 
iment, and now occupied by the Third Cavalry. The officers' quarters 
are on the bluff overlooking the Potomac and the city, behind them 
are various offices, the post-hospital, etc., and farther back the com- 
modious brick barracks, large stables, and great drill shed. The cven- 
ino- parades, in fine weather, and the weekly band concerts are 
picturesque and delightful; and it is highly interesting to sit in the 



164 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

public gallery of the drill hall and watch the feats of horsemanship 
in which the cavalrymen are trained. The great rolling field, west 
of the cemetery and south of the post parade ground, is devoted to 
troop, squadron, and regimental drilling, and is a favorite place for 
polo. This fine military post occupies the site of Fort WJiipplc, one 
of the strongest defenses of Washington during the Civil War. 

After the disaster at Bull Run, a system of defenses was projected 
and partly completed to cover every approach to the city. " Every 
prominent point," wrote General Cullom, " at intervals of 800 or 1,000 
yards, was occupied by an inclosed field-fort; every important ap- 
proach or depression of ground, unseen from the forts, was swept 
by a battery of field guns, and the whole connected by rifle-trenches, 
which were, in fact, lines of infantry parapet, furnishing emplacement 
for two ranks of men, and affording covered communication along 
the line; while roads were opened, wherever necessary, so that troops 
and artillery could be moved rapidly from one point of the immense 
periphery to another, or imder cover from point to point." 

In this circle of defenses Fort Whipple held a very important 
position, and was a star-shaped earthwork, scientifically built, and 
heavily armed and garrisoned. It has been completely swept away, 
but south of the drill plain, at the eastern corner of the cemetery. 
Fort Tillinghast is still standing and looks, at a distance, as if time 
had spared it as completely as did the ravages of war. It is well 
worth a visit. The ruins of Fort Cass, and other outworks near by, 
are also traceable. 

Fort Whipjile was assigned to the use of the Signal Corps as 
training school and headquarters, and was at once re-named Alyer 
after its commandant, the Chief Signal Officer. 

Falls Church is a pretty Virginia village, six miles from Georg©- 
town by electric cars, the scene of one of the opening battles of the 
Civil War. Cars leave Roslyn, Va., hourly. 

3. To tlie Soldiers' Home, Koek Creek Church, Fort 

Stevens, Battle aii<l National Cemeteries, the 

Catholic University, and Brookland. 

The Soldiers' Home stands in the midst of a noble park, with a 
wide outlook from high grounds directly north of the Capitol from 
which it is distant four miles in a straight line. It is a favorite ter- 
niinus for driving and bicycling, beautiful roads leading thither from 
the head of Connecticut Avenue or Fourteenth Street, and less desir- 
able ones returning through the northeastern quarter of the city. 
Two lines of street-cars approach the Soldiers' Home, giving the 
tourist an alternate route going and coming; and he should devote 



EX CUR S/OXS ABOUT J VA SUING 7 ON. 1 65 

the better part of a day to this excursion, a good plan being to take 
a luncheon, to be eaten in the grove about Fort Totten, as no 
restaurant is open in that region. 

The direct route out is by the cable-cars north on Seventh Street, 
(5 cents) and the electric line from the boundary (5 cents) to the Eagle 
or western gate of the Soldiers' Home grounds. A short distance 
beyond the boundary, at the right of the road, are seen the tall brick 
buildings of Howard Ujiiversity — a collegiate institution estab- 
lished soon after the war, as an outgrowth of the Freedmen's 
Bureau, for the education of colored youths of both sexos. Its first 
presideni was Maj.-Gen. O. O. Howard (who had resigned from the 
army temporarily to undertake this work), and it has maintained 
itself as a flourishing institution having some 300 students annually. 

The new Distribtctiiig Reservoz'r, to which the famous and 
incomplete " Lydecker Tunnel" was intended to carry water from 
the Potomac conduit, occupies the high ground north of the 
university; it will probably be made use of before long. 

The ride out to the end of this road, at the District limits, is a very 
pleasant one all the way; and if one is fond of a walking, he can do 
well by going on through the suburban villages of Potworth and 
Brightwood to Silver Springs and Takoma— the latter a station on the 
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad almost at the extreme northern corner of 
the District. It is then a very pleasant walk back to the Soldiers' 
Home, along the Blair and Rock Creek Church roads, near the rail- 
road, which are bordered by luxuriant hedges of osage orange. 
This is a fair country road for bicycles. Extensions of electric lines 
are progressing, one line now reaching to Forest Glen, Md. 

Near Brightwood, in plain view off at the left as you go out upon 
the cars, are the crumbling parapets of Fort Stcvc?is, the only one 
of the Washington fortifications that had any actual work to do in 
protecting the city. 

Early s Raid, in July, 1S64, was the only serious scare Washington 
ever had, but it was enough. Panic-sirlcken people from the Mary- 
land villages came flocking in along this road, bnngmg such o( their 
household goods as they could carry. For two or three days the city 
was cut off from communication with the ou.^side world, except by 
way of the Potomac River. The District m.ilit.a was re.nfoicccl by 
every able-bodied man who could be swept up. Department clerks 
were mustered into companies and sent to the trenthes, with any 
odds and ends of fighting material that could be gathered 1 here 
was an immense commotion, but the capital was never so demoral- 
ized as was alleged of it at the time. Within forty-eight hours, from 



166 HANDY GUIDE 7^0 IV ASHING TON. 

one source and another, 60,000 men had been gathered. ]\Iean while 
the stubborn resistance made some miles up the river, by Gen. Lew 
Wallace, whose wide reputation as the author of " Ben Hur," " The 
Fair God," etc., was still to come, who delayed the invading host 
against frightful odds until the fortifications were well manned, had 
saved the city from being sacked and the President from capture. 
It is not too much to say that Wallace's prompt and courageous 
action did this thing. Wallace was forced back, of course, but when 
Early got him out of the way, and reached the defenses north of the 
city, he found the old Sixth Corps there, and, contenting himself with 
a brisk skirmish in the fields in front of Fort Stevens, he fled, carry- 
ing away the plunder of hundreds of desolated Marjdand farm-houses. 
The President was not only intensely anxious but eagerly interested. 
Noah Brooks, in his " Washington in Lincoln's Time," says of him: 
" He went out to Fort Stevens during the skirmish ... on July 12, 
and repeatedly exposed himself in the coolest manner to the fire of 
the rebel sharpshooters. He had once said to me that he lacked 
physical courage, although he had a fair share of the moral quality 
of that virtue; but his calm imconsciousness of danger, while the 
bullets were flying thick and fast about him, was ample proof that he 
would not have dropped his musket and run, as he believed he 
certainly would, at the first sign of physical danger." 

Those killed in this affair were buried in the little cemetery by 
the ]\Iethodist Church, now called Battle' Cemetery. 

The Soldiers' Home is the forerunner and type of those which 
were erected in various parts of the country after the Civil War, but 
it is not in the same class. It is an institution established in 1S51 by 
the efforts of Gen. Winfield Scott, and out of certain funds received 
from Mexico, as a retreat for veterans of the Mexican War, and for 
men of the regular army who have been disabled or who, by twenty 
years of honorable service and a payment of 12 cents a month, have 
acquired the right of residence there the remainder of their lives. 
This gives the veterans a pleasing sense of self-su^Dport, in addition 
to which many are able to earn money by working about the build- 
ings and grounds and in various ways. There are ordinarily about 
500 men there, who live under a mild form of military discii^line and 
routine, wear the uniform of the army, and are governed by veteran 
officers. The affairs of the Home, which has now a fund of over 
$1,000,000 and a considerable independent income, are administered 
by a board composed of the general of the army and his principal 
assistants at the War Department. 

"The main building is of white marble, three stories in height, and 
is fashioned after tlie Norman order of architecture. On the grounds 
are several elegant marble cottages occupied by the officials, a pretty 
church of Seneca stone, a capacious hospital building with wide 



EXCURSIONS ABOUT IVASIIINGTOX. 167 

piazzas, from which charming views of Washington and the Potomac 
can be had, a fine hbrary building, well-stocked with books and 
periodicals, and numerous other structures. On the brow of one of 
the hills stands a bronze statue of General Scott, by Launt Thomp- 
son, erected by the Home in 1S74, at a cost of $18,000. The entire 
estate is inclosed by a low stonewall, surmounted by a small iron 
fence of handsome design. Fifty acres are under cultivation, and 
fine crops of fruits and vegetables are raised. 

"Near the main building is a large cottage of ten used by the Presi- 
dents of the United States as a summer residence. It is surrounded 
by noble trees, and has a very attractive appearance. Pierce was 
the first President to pass the summer here, and Buchanan, Lincoln, 
Johnson, Hayes, and Arthur have preferred its quiet comfort to the 
statelier life in the White House." 

In the rear of the Home, on the wooded slope beyond Ilarewood 
Road, lies one of the National Diilitary ceuieterics, entered by an 
arch upon whose pillars are inscribed the names of great Union com- 
manders in the Civil War. Here rest the remains of about 5,5o<i 
Federal and 271 Confederate soldiers, less than 300 of whom are 
unknown. The grounds contain a pretty stone chapel, in which lies 
the body of Gen. John A. Logan. 

Rock Creek Church and its beautiful cemetery, northeast of the 
Soldiers' Home, and separated from it by the fine Rock Creek Church 
Road, are well worth examination. 

This IS the oldest house of worship in the District of Columbia, or 
near it, and was erected in 1719, by the planters of the neighborh(>od, 
of bricks imported from England as ballast in empty tobacco ships. 
It was remodeled, however, in 1S6S, and now appears as a small 
steepleless structure nearly hidden among great trees and sur- 
rounded by ancient graves and vaults, whose tal^lets bear the names 
of the foremost of the old JNIaryland families and early Washmg- 
tonians. The oldest graves are nearest the church; and one head- 
stone is pitted with marks of minie balls, showing that some soldiers 
have used it as a convenient target. The cemetery is still used, and 
the monument to Peter Force (p. 4S) is of special interest In 
Mrs. Lockwood's " Historic Homes" will be found a long incidental 
account of the historv of this -sacred spot and the relics still used m the 
service of the old church. The St. Gaudens bronzes should be seen. 

A delightful Jwmeward way is to walk across, a mile or so, 
through the grove paths of the Soldiers' Home park to the terminus 
of the Eckington Electric Railroad; but many will be interested, 
instead, to go around the diilitary Cemetery, and up the hill to tlie 
right, where, in the woods, may still be seen the star-shaped embank- 
ments of Fort Totten, with numerous rifle pits and outworks. 1 his 



168 HANDY GUIDE TO WASFIINGTON. 

is one of the best preserved and most accessible of the old forts, and 
its parapets command a wide and beautiful landscape. 

From Fort Totten the Harewood Road may easily be reached and 
followed southward along the eastern side of the park until it 
emerges upon the great campus of 

The Catholic University of America. This is the national insti- 
tution of higher learning established by all the Catholic bishops of 
the United States in the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore, and is 
regarded by Pope Leo XIII as one of the chief honors of his pon- 
tificate. The grounds comprise seventy acres, and the visitor is at 
once struck by the stately appearance of the two great university 
structures already erected. 

The one to the left is Divinity Hall, erected in 1889. It is a solid 
stone structure of 266 feet front and five stories in height ; the lower 
floor is given up to class rooms, museums, and the library; the upper 
floors are occupied with the lodgings of the professors and students 
of the department of divinity; the top story is a well-equipped gym- 
nasium. The Divinity ChajDcl is admired by all visitors. The 
building to the right is known as the McMahon Hall of Philosophy, 
and was dedicated in 1895. It is built of granite throughout, is 250 
feet front, and five stories high. It consists entirely of lecture rooms, 
class rooms, laboratories, and museums. It accommodates two great 
schools or faculties, each comprising several departments of study. 
The School of Philosophy comprises departments of philosophy proper, 
letters, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and has attached 
to it a department of technology giving full instruction in civil, 
mechanical, and electrical engineering. The School of the Social 
Sciences comprises departments of ethics and sociology, economics, 
political science, and law. The former faculty leads up to the degree 
of Ph. D., the latter to all degrees in law. Immediately adjoining 
the university are three affiliated colleges, called St. Thomas' College, 
the Marist College, and the Holy Cross College. Each of these con- 
tains from fifteen to twenty students of philosophy and theology, and 
their professors. They attend courses in the university. The 
divinity courses are attended only by ecclesiastics of the Catholic 
Church. To the legal, philosophical, and scientific courses lay 
students are admitted, without regard to their religious creed. 

The old country village and present suburb of Brookla7id lies 
just beyond, and is the terminus of the Soldiers' Home and Ecking- 
ton Electric Railway, which will carry the visitor back from the uni- 
versity gates or southern entrance to the Soldiers' Home in about 
twenty-five minutes. Just south of the latter, west of the suburban 
district of EdgeivooJ , through which the line passes, are the Glen- 
wood, Prospect Hill, and St. Mary's (Roman Catholic) cemeteries, 



EXCURSIONS ABOUT IV A SUING TON. 169 

, which contain the graves of many famous persons and some fine 
monuments. Nearer the city line is the fine suburb. Ec king ton, in 
the midst of which, upon a beautifully wooded hill, is the colonial 
building of the Eckington Hotel, open in summer. This line enters 
the city along New York Avenue, and terminates at the Treasury. 

4. To "The Zoo," Rock Creek National Park, and 
Chevy Chase. 

This is an excursion into the northern and most beautiful corner 
of the District, reached by taking the cable cars out Fourteenth 
Street to the boundary, and then (by transfer) the Chevy Chase line. 
The latter extends from Sixth Street (connectmg with the Seventh 
Street line) along U Street west, through Hancock Circle (where New 
Hampshire Avenue crosses Sixteenth Street), and thence turns up 
the hill 'at Eighteenth Street, and goes across Rock Creek, and out 
into the country, along Connecticut Avenue Extended, passing on 
its way half way around the 

Zoological Park. A zoological garden is among the most recent 
additions to the sights of the capital. 

Previous to its organization and the purchase of this site of about 
167 acres in 1S90 the National Museum had accumulated by gift 
many live animals, but had no means of caring for them; these at 
once became the nucleus of the new collection, which was j^laced 
under the general charge of tho Smithsonian Institution, with l-'rank 
Baker, M. D., as superintendent. Two definite objects have been in 
view here. The original idea was not a park for public exhibition 
purposes — a popular "Zoo"— but a reservation in which there 
might be bred and maintained representatives of many American 
animals threatened with extinction. Congress, however, enlarged 
and modified this notion by adding the exhibition features, making 
the place a pleasure-ground as well as an experiment station, and 
consequently imposing upon the District of Columbia one-half the 
cost of its purchase and maintenance. Nevertheless, the managers 
do all they can to carry out the original, more scientific intention. 

How to reach the Park— The car conductors are in the habit of 
carrying passengers around to the western gate; but a better way is 
to leave the car immediately after crossing the bridge, where a nar- 
row lane leads to a flight of rustic steps down the hill to the brink ol 
Rock Creek, near the bear dens. No admittance charge or fee of any 
kind is required, and the garden is open daily, including Sundays. 

The Bear Dens are the best of their kind in the country, being 
rude caves blasted out of the cliff left by an abandinied quarry, 
which form natural retreats for their big tenants, while capacious 



170 IIANDV GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

iron cages enclose door yards well supplied with bathing-pools. 
All of the varieties of American bears — polar, grizzly, cinnamon, 
and black — are here, and may be compared at one view. 

Crossing Rock Creek, a five-minutes' walk brings you to the prin- 
cipal Animal House, wdiich is a commodious stone building, well 
lighted and well ventilated, and having on its southern side an annex 
of very fine out-door cages, where the great carnivora and other beasts 
dwell in warm weather. The collection is not very large, as the funds 
do not at present allow of the purchase of animals, which must be ob- 
tained by gift or exchange. Captures in the Yellowstone National 
Park, however, are permitted for the benefit of this garden, and have 
supplied many specimens. 

The collection here now comprises one female and two male lions. 
One of the males, " Lobengula," is a remarkably large and healthy 
monarch, born in the jungles of Lobengula's country, Mashonaland, 
East Africa. His dam was killed by an ivory merchant, H. C. Moore, 
who captured and brought to the coast three cubs, but only this one 
survived the transatlantic voyage. Very few jungle-bred lions exist 
in captivity. The leopard is another wild animal, born in the forests 
along the Lualaba River, one of the highest tributaries of the Kongo, 
in Central Africa. It was brought down to the coast in 1 893 , and then 
sent to the United States by R. D. Mohim, U. S. Consul at Booma. 
Two pumas complete the list of large cats. Of the smaller carnivora, 
the garden possesses a few of note, one of which is the tayra (Galictis 
barlmra), a large, dark brown, Central American weasel. The kink- 
ajou or cacomistlc, from JNIexico, is also worth attention. Various 
other quadrupeds, reptiles, and birds are owned and placed here; and 
during the winter a hippopotamus, an Indian rhinoceros, and some 
other rare beasts, loaned by traveling menageries, are usually to be 
seen. The hardier animals (except a few antelopes and kangaroos, 
which have a stable) are quartered out of doors all the year round 
in wire enclosures scattered about the grounds. These are all 
healthy and happy to a gratifying degree, and as a result they pro- 
duce young freely. The herds of bison, elk, and deer were recruited 
mainly from the Yellowstone Park. The former occupy adjacent 
paddocks uj)on the rising ground north of tlie animal house, and the 
latter enjoy extensive pastures and a picturesque thatched stable some- 
what to the east, on a hillside sloping down to Rock Creek. In an- 
other quarter are to be seen the cages of the wolves, foxes, and dogs 
— among the last several Eskimo dogs, from both Alaska and Green- 
land. 77/^' /;(iY?7/<^;'.?, however, probably constitute the most singular 
and interesting of all the features of the garden at present. They 
consist of a colony of seven, received in 1S94. They were given the 
wooded ravine of a little branch of Rock Creek, where they at once 
set about cutting down trees, adaj'tting to their purposes the brush 
supplied to them, burrowing in the banks of the stream and construct- 
ing dams and houses, precisely as in a state of nature. The public 




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EUROPEAN PLAN. 

"v located, and in the 



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250 Rooms at $1,0D anJ $1.59 psr day. Tiiis ho 

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Finest Restaurant in Philadelphia. Headquarters for Commercial 1 ravelero. 



EXCURSIONS ABOUT IVA SIIINGTON. 171 

generally is not admitted to this nook, but those especially interested 
can usually see the " improvements," if not the clever workmen them- 
selves, by application to the superintendent or head keeper Mr 
Blackburn. The garden has two fine young Indian elephants —'botli 
males—" Golddust " and " Dunk." The latter was presented to the 
park by Adam Forepaugh in 1S91; at the beginning of 1896 he was 
about nine feet tall, and weighed 9,000 pounds. ' ' Golddust " has l)een 
loaned by Forepaugh, is seven feet and eight inches tall, and weighs 
5,600 pounds. 

/;/ leaving the Park, the visitor will go to the western entrance 
along the board walk and carriage-drive; and can there, if he wishes, 
take the electric cars out to Chevy Chase. This is a charming suburb, 
just beyond the District line, at the extremity of Connecticut Avenue 
Extended, which is cut straight across the broken and picturesque 
region west of Rock Creek. The forested gorge of this romantic 
stream, east of the avenue, and embracing most of the region be- 
tween it and the proposed extension of Sixteenth Street, or " Execu- 
tive Avenue," has been acquired and reserved by the Government as 
a public park; but as yet no improvements have been attempted, and 
it remains a wild rambling-ground full of grand possibilities for the 
landscape artist. 

Chevy Chase consists of a group of handsome country villas, 
among which an old mansion has been converted into a "country- 
club," with tennis-courts, golf-links, etc., attached, and here the 
young people of the fashionable set meet for out-door amusements, 
in which fox-hunting with hounds, after the British fashion, is ])rom- 
inent. A large and beautiful hotel was started here, but the building- 
is now occupied as a school. An additional fare is charged for travel 
beyond the circle at the District line, and there is little to attract the 
traveler farther northward. Instead of turning back, however, it is 
a good plan to walk south westward eight or ten minutes, passing^ okl 
Fort Reno, and striking the Tennallytown electric road at the (Jlcn 
Echo Junction (p. 171), where he can return direct to (Georgetown, or 
can go on to Glen Echo and then up to Cabin John Bridge or (ireat 
Falls, or back to Georgetown by the electric line along the bank of 
the Potomac. 

5. GeorgetoAvii aiitl its Vicinity. 

Georgetown, now West Washington, was a flourishing village and 
seaport (the river channel having been deeper previous to the con- 
struction of bridges) before there was a thought of placing the capital 
here; and in its hospitable houses the early officials found pleasanter 
homes than the embryo Federal city then afforded. Its naiTow, well 
shaded, hilly streets are yet quaint with reminders of those days, and 
it has residents who still consider their circle of families the only 



172 HANDY GUIDE 7V WASHINGTON. 

persons "true blue." Georgetown is still a port of entry, but its 
business does little more than pay the expenses of the office. 

Before the era of railroads Georgetown had distinct importance, 
due to the fact that it was the tidewater terminus of the Chesapeake 
& Ohio Canal, which was finished up the river as far as the Great 
Falls in 17S4, and in 1828 was carried through to Cumberland, Md., 
at a cost of $13,000,000. It never realized the vast expectations 
of its promoters, but was of great service to Georgetown, and is: still 
used for the transport of coal, grain, and other slow freights. The 
original bridge over the Potomac was constructed to carry the canal 
down to Alexandria, whence its name; but that use of the bridge 
and of the canal itself below this point were long ago abandoned. 

Pennsylvania Avenue forms the highway toward Georgetown, 
but stops at Rock Creek. The cars turn off to K Street, cross the 
deep ravine over a bridge borne upon the arched water-mains, and 
then run east to the end of the street at the Aqueduct Bridge. Here 
a three-story Union Rat/way Station has been built; into its lowest 
level is to come the line from Arlington and Alexandria, Va. , over 
the bridge. The second level accommodates the cars of the Pennsyl- 
vania Avenue line, and the top story forms the terminus of the 
electric railway to the Great Falls (p. 171). Broad stairways and 
elevators connect the three floors. 

Georgetown does not contain much to attract the hasty sight-seer, 
though much for the meditative historian. A large sign, painted 
upon a brick house near the Aqueduct Bridge, informs him that that 
is the Key Mansion — the home for several years of Francis Scott 
Key, the author of " The Star Spangled Banner," who resided here 
after the War of 1812, became district-attorney, and died in 1S43. 
Similar personal memoranda belong to several other old houses here. 
On Analostan, for example — the low forested island below the 
farther end of Aqueduct Bridge — lived the aristocratic Masons, 
during the early years of the Republic, cultivating a model farm and 
entertaining royally. One of the latest of them was John M. Mason, 
author of the Fugitive Slave Law, and an associate of Mr. Slidell 
in the Confederate mission to England, which was interrupted by 
Wilkes in the Ti'cnt affair. The most prominent institution in this 
locality, however, is 

Georgetown College. This is the School of Arts and Sciences 
of Georgetown University, which is under the direction of the 
Fathers of the Society of Jesus. This school, consisting of three 
departments — postgraduate, collegiate, and preparatory— is the oldest 
Catholic institution of higher learning in the United States, having 
been founded in 1789. The college was chartered as a university by 
act of Congress in 1815, and in 1833 was empowered by the Holy 



EXC UR SIONS ABOUT \VA SUING TON. 1 73 

See to grant degrees in philosophy and theolog3^ The present main 
building, begun in 1S78, is an excellent specimen of Rhenish-Roman- 
esque architecture, and its grounds cover seventy-eight acres, includ- 
ing the beautiful woodland ' ' walks " and a magnificent campus. The 
Riggs Library of over 70,000 volumes contains rare and curious 
works. The Coleman Museum has many fine exhibits, among them 
interesting Colonial relics and valuable collections of coins and 
medals. Not far from the college, on a prominent hill, is the Astro- 
nomical Observatory, where many original investigations are made 
as well as class instruction given. Thirty-nine members of the 
faculty and 300 students comprise the present census of this school. 

The School of Law, situated in the vicinity of the district courts, is 
one of the best in America, numbering on its staff several leading 
jurists; the faculty now numbers fifteen, the students over 300. The 
School of Medicine is fully equipped for thorough medical training 
under distinguished specialists; the faculty numbers 49, the students, 
125. The total number of students in the university is about 750. 

Oak Hill Cemetery, on the southern bank of Rock Creek near P 
Street, is a beautiful burying ground rising in terraces and containing 
the graves of many distinguished men and women. It is reached by 
the line of the MetropoUtan street-cars, more commonly called the 
" F" Street line; leaving the cars at Thirtieth Street, a walk of two 
squares north, will bring the visitor to the entrance. 

" Near the gateway is the chapel built in the style of architecture 
of Henry VIII. This is matted by ivy brought from ' Melrose Abbey. 
In front of the chapel is the monument of John Howard Payne, t le 
author of ' Home, Sweet Home!' who had been buried m 1852 in the 
cemetery near Tunis, Africa, and there remained until, at the 
expense of Mr. Corcoran, his bones were brought to this spot and in 
'83 were re-interred with appropriate ceremonies. 1 he statue o 
William Pinknev is near here also (he was the Protestant Lpiscopa 
Bishop of Maryland, and nephew of William Pinkney. the great 
Maryland lawyer). It represents that prelate m full crjionical robes 
and was dedicated to his memory by Mr. Corcoran, ^v Was the 
friend of his youth, the comfort of his declining years. JIJ^^/"; "J " 
leum of Mr. Corcoran for his family is a beautiful specimen of moi u- 
ary architecture; this is in the northwestern «f ^lon of tlie cx'n e c > . 
whilst in the southeastern is the mauso eum ot the ^ an Ness fanil) • 
whose leader married the heiress. Marcia, cTKiughter <>t J^'^Ytv This 
one of the original proprietors ot the site ot ^^^^^^^^^^'^^^^^j >:„,^/J' 
tomb is a model of the Temple of the Vcs a at Rome^ J.l^^S^' .^ieh^ 
comprises twenty-five acres, incorporated in lS49,<>nc-ha1f^^^^^^^ 
and an endowment of 190,000 were t^e don.ition of Mr. ^\.11l J W 
Corcoran. Here were buried Chief Justice Chase, Secretary ot war 



174 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

Stanton, the great Professor Joseph Henry, and many others illus- 
trious in American annals." — Sights of IVashingtoii. 

Extremely pleasant rambles may be taken to the north and east of 
this cemetery, and it is not far across the hills to 

The Naval Observatory. This is a new astronomical station of 
the Government, under control of the navy and presided over by an 
officer of high rank, whose first object is the gathering and collection 
of information of use to mariners, such as precision of knowledge of 
latitude and longitude, variation of the compass, accuracy of chro- 
nometers and other instruments used in the navigation of ships of 
war, and similar information more or less allied tO' astronomy. 
Purely scientific astronomical work is also carried on, ano. the equip- 
ment of telescopes and other instruments is comj^lete, enabling the 
staff of learned men — naval and civilian— attached to the institution 
to accomplish notable results in the advancement of that department 
of knowledge. The special inquirer will be welcomed by the officers 
at all suitable hours; and on Thursday nights the public are invited 
to look through the great telescope. 

This new observatory dates from 1S92, when it was moved from 
the wooded elevation, called Braddock's Hill, at the Potomac end of 
New York Avenue, which it had occupied for nearly a century. This 
ground was a reservation originally set aj^art at the instance of 
Washington, who wished to see planted there the foundations of the 
National University — the dream of his last years. It is called 
University Square to this day, and a proposition has lately been 
made that Washington's idea should be partly carried out by the 
establishment there of a national gallery of architecture and art. 

6. Georgetown to Tennallytown and Glen Echo. 

From Georgetown an electric road runs north out High Street 
and the Tennallytown road to the District line, where it branches 
into two lines. Leaving the city quickly it makes its way through a 
pretty suburban district, out into a region of irregular hills and 
dales, where, about one mile from the starting point, the new 
United States Naval Observatory is seen about a quarter of a mile 
to the right. Just beyond its entrance is an industrial school. 
The general district at the left is Wesley Heights, ninety 
acres of which, and the .name, are the property of a Methodist 
association which proposes to establish there a highly equipped uni- 
versity, to be called the American, modeled upon the plan of Ger- 
man universities, and open to both sexes. The site of the buildings 
will be west of Massachusetts Avenue where it intersects Forty- 



EXCURSIONS ABOUT WASHINGTON. 175 

fourth Street, forming University Circle. Work is beginning on tlie 
buildings, and the endowment is growing. The district west of the 
road is Woodley Heights, Woodley adjoining it further east along 
the valley of Rock Creek. Tunlaw Heights is another local ' ' subdi- 
vision " here; and somewhat farther on is Oak Vt'c^u, where there is 
a lofty observatory, open to anyone who cares to climb it, and obtain 
the wnder outlook, embracing a large part of the city. A few years 
ago there w^as a great " boom " in suburban villa sites near here, and 
many noted persons built the fine houses which are scattered over 
the ridges in all directions. Among them Avas President Cleveland, 
whose house, " Red Top" (from the color of the roof), is passed by 
the cars just beyond Oak View. It was afterward sold by the Presi- 
dent to great advantage; and during his second term he occupied 
another summer home not far to the eastward of this site. The cross- 
road here runs straight to the Zoological Park, a trifle over a mile 
eastward. Woodley Inn is a summer hotel on the left of the road, 
which keeps northward along a ridge with wide views, for a mile and 
a quarter farther to Tennallytown, lately become a suburb of consid- 
erable population, largely increased by families from the city in sum- 
mer. A road to the left (west) from here gives a very picturesque 
walk of a mile and a half over to the Receiving Reservoir, and a mile 
farther will take you to Little Falls, or the Chain Bridge. Up at the 
right, on the highest point of land in the District (400 feet), the new 
reservoir is seen, occupying the site of Fort Reno, one of the most 
important of the circle of forts about the capital during the Civil 
War. A wooded knoll, some distance to the left, shows the cruinb- 
Hng earthworks of a lesser redoubt near the river road, which 
branches off northwest from the village. Three-quarters of a mile 
beyond Tennallytown the limit of the District of Columbia is 
reached, and the /?/;/^//^;/ of the line to Glen Echo. The main line 
has tracks and runs occasional cars northward as far as Bcthesda. 
proposing, after a time, to extend its rails to Rockville, and ulti- 
mately, no doubt, to Frederick, Md. 

The GIc7i Echo Line runs a car every half hour (fare 5 cents) 
along a winding road through the woods to the Conduit Road and 
bank of the Potomac, at the Glen Echo grounds. 
7. Georgetown to Gleu Echo, Cabin Jolin, aiMl 
Great Falls. 

The Georgetown & Great Falls Railroad. Company operates an 
electric line, opened in 1896. to the Great Falls of the Potomac. 



17 6 HA ND V G UID E TO IV A SHING TON. 

which affords one of the most delightful excursions out of Washing- 
ton. Its large trolley cars leave the Union Station, in Georgetown, 
and take a high course overlooking the river valley, which becomes 
much narrower and more gorge-like above the city, with the Vir- 
ginia banks very steep, rocky, and broken by quarries. The rails are 
laid through the woods, and gradually descend to the bank of the 
canal (p. i6S), w^hich skirts the foot of the bluff. About three miles 
above Georgetown is the Chain B^'idgc, so called because the 
earliest bridge here, where the river for some two miles is confined 
within a narrow, swift, and deep channel on the Virginia side, was 
made of suspended chains. The lofty bank is broken here by the 
ravine of Pimmit Run, making a convenient place for several roads 
to meet and cross the river. The bluffs above it were crowned with 
strong forts, for this was one of the principal approaches to Washing- 
ton. A mile and a half above the Chain Bridge, having run through 
the picturesque woods behind High, or Sycamore, Island, owned by a 
sportsmen's club, you emerge to find the river a third of a mile wade 
again, and dashing over black rocks and ledges in the series of 
rapids called the Little Falls of the Potomac The wild beauty of 
the locality makes it a favorite one for picnicking parties, and bass 
fishing is always excellent. The Maryland bank becomes higher and 
more rugged above Little Falls, and takes the name of Glen Echo 
Heights. A competing electric road, the Baltzley's " white line," 
extends from Georgetown to this point, by a nearly parallel route. 

Glen Echo is an undertaking where it was proposed to combine 
educational privileges with recreation, and form a suburban residence 
colony and day-resort of high character. Extensive buildings of stone 
and wood, including a very spacious amphitheatre, were erected in 
the grove upon the steep bank and commanded a most attractive 
river-view; in them courses of valuable lectures, Sunday services, and 
concerts of a high order were given, and many means of rational 
outdoor as well as indoor enjoyment were provided, but the project 
failed. 

The river has pretty banks to Cabin John Run, where the fine arch 
of the celebrated bridge (p. 1 73) gleams through the trees. The remain- 
der of the run (five miles) is through a wild, wooded regi(^n at the 
edge of the canal and river, which is again narrow, deep, and broken 
by islands flooded at high water, with high, ravine-cut banks. This is 
a favorite place with Washingtonians for fishing with rod and fly, 
from the banks; Daniel Webster often came here for tbis purpose. 



EXCURSIOMS ABOUT WA SUING TON. 177 

The Great Falls of the Potomac arc a series of bold cascades 
forming a drop of So feet within a few hundred yards of distance, 
very pretty but hardly deserving the panegyrics bestowed by some 
early writers. The place will always be exceedingly attractive, how- 
ever, especially to artists and anglers. The appearance of the falls 
has been considerably modified, and probably enhanced, by the 
structures of the Cz/y Water Wor/cs, for this is the source of Wash- 
ington's public water supply. The water is conveyed to the city 
through a brick conduit, which runs along the top of the Maryland 
bank, and is overlaid by the macadamized driveway called the Con- 
duit Road. This work of engineering meets its first serious difficulty 
at Cabin John Run, where a stone arch leaps across the ravine in a 
single span— unequaled elsewhere— of 220 feet. Its center is 100 feet 
above the little stream, and the structure is as graceful to the eye as 
it is admirable to the mind. A neat hotel stands here, which is not 
only a favorite stoj^ping place for driving and 'cycling parties, but is 
filled in summer with regular boarders. The grounds are pleasant, 
and the river and canal have attractions for boatmen, bathers, and 
fishermen; while the autumn brings good shooting for quail and 
grouse, foxes, squirrels, and rabbits, and only a few miles farther out 
for deer and turkeys. 

During the Civil War this upper valley of the river was filled 
with f.pies, smugglers between the armies, thieves, and all the loose 
ends of a broken society, and almost relapsed into its primitive bar- 
barism. Even now there is little use of the land, thousands of acres 
of which have gone back to w^orthless "old field pines" and oak 
brush. The soil is poor, but the people are poorer, and have not even 
taken the trouble to restore fences burned by raiders during the war. 

T/ie Conduit Road \'S> kept in excellent order by the Government 
and is the only one ridable for a long distance in all seasons by wheel- 
men. It is easily reached by various cross-cuts from the northern 
parts of the city, and bicycles are always visible upon it, as well as 
carriages. It is a delightful run from Cabin John Bridge or Glen 
Echo down to Georgetown along this road. The gorge of the river, 
with its numerous rapids, bordered by rocky banks, is always inter- 
esting. A mile below Little Falls, on the border of the District, the 
Receiving Reservoir, ensconced like a natural lake among wooded 
hills, is passed, and thence houses appear more frequently. Every 
mile or so there is a "wayside inn," and you get a glimpse of more 
distant country homes of the old regime. Below Chain Bridge tlie 
river gradually widens and roughens, and the road ascends to the 



178 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

summit of the Palisades of the Potomac, whence a glorious view is 
obtained down the valley. The great Distributing Reservoir is 
skirted, and the road gradually descends into Georgetown. 

8. To Bladen sburg- and Kendall Green. 

Bladensburg is a quiet Maryland village, some seven miles north- 
east, on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. It is a port on the Ana- 
costia, to which large boats formerly ascended with goods, and went 
back laden with farm produce. Through it ran the stage road from 
the north; and here, August 24, 1814, the feeble American army 
met the British, under Ross and Cockburn, who had marched over 
from their landing place on the Patuxent River, intent upon the 
capture of the Yankee capital. The Americans, partly by blunder- 
ing and partly by panic (except some sailors under Commodore 
Barney), ran away after the first attack, and left the way open for 
the redcoats to take and burn the town as they pleased; but they 
inflicted a remarkably heavy loss upon the invaders. 

"It is a favorite drive with Washingtonians to-day," remarks 
Mr. Todd, in his Story of Was king ton, " over the smooth Bladens- 
burg pike to the quaint old village. Dipping into the ravine where 
Barney made his stand, ^^ou have on the right the famous dueling 
ground, enriched with some of the noblest blood of the Union. A 
mile farther on, you come out upon the banks of the Eastern Branch, 
here an inconsiderable mill stream, easily forded, though spanned by 
a bridge some thirty yards in length. On the opposite shore gleam 
through the trees the houses of Bladensburg, very little changed 
since the battle-day. Some seventy yards before reaching the 
bridge, the Washington pike is joined by the old Georgetown post- 
road, which comes down from the north to meet it at an angle of 
forty-five degrees. The gradually rising triangular field between 
these two roads, its heights now crowned by an elegant club-house 
of modern design, was the battle ground." 

A string of pleasant suburban villages nearly join one another 
along the railway and turnpike— Highland, Wiley Heights, Rives, 
Woodbridge, Langdon, Avalon Heights, and Winthrop Heights, or 
Montello. The last is well inside the District and brings us back to 
Mount Olivet Cemetery burial ground, lying between the turnpike 
and the railway near the city boundary, which has the sad distinction 
of containing the bodies of Mrs. Surratt, one of the conspirators in 
the assassination of Lincoln, and of Wirz, the cruel keeper of Ander- 
sonville prison. Electric roads now reach all these suburbs. 

The National Fair Grotmds, opposite Mount Olivet and west of 
the railroad, contain the Ivy City race track, which is the scene of 



EXCURSIONS ABOUT WASIIINGTOX. 179 

annual races that call out all Washington. The suburban "addition," 
Montello. is north of the fair grounds, and south of them is Ivy 
City, with Trinidad east of the railroad. The southern part of 
Ivy City is occupied by the extensive grounds of the Columbia 
Institution for the Deaf and Dumb, popularly known as 

Kendall Green. This institution was incorporated in 1 85 7, and is 
for the free education of deaf-mute children of sailors and soldiers of 
the United States, as also of the children of the District so afflicted. 

It was greatly indebted in its early years to the benefactions of 
the Hon. Amos Kendall, who gave land, money, and buildings 
toward its establishment. The directors called as conductor Edward 
M. Gallaudet, who had been teaching in the Hartford School for the 
Deaf — the first in America, founded by his father in 18 17, In 1S64 
Congress authorized the young institution at Washington to exercise 
the full functions of a college, and a department for the higher edu- 
cation of the deaf was at once established, called Gallaudet College, 
in honor of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, founder of deaf-mute educa- 
tion in America, and the primary department is called the Kendall 
School, in honor of Mr. Kendall. Both school and college have 
received handsome appropriations from Congress, and the institution 
now occupies a beautiful domain of 100 acres, and has ample and 
tasteful buildings. The number of students is now eighty-five in the 
college and fifty in the school. All have opportunity to learn to 
speak, the system of instruction including both manual and oral 
methods. Poor students are received on very liberal terms. Visitors 
are admitted on Thursdays between the hours of 9.00 and 3.00. 

Excursions by Steamer or Rail to Fortress Monroe, the Bull 
Run Battlefield, Fredericksburg, Harper's Ferry, the Luray Caverns 
in Virginia, and to Annapolis in Maryland, are often made from 
Washington — frequently on special occasions at low rates. 



THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS. 



Foreign Embassies and Legations to tlie United States. 

Argentine Republic. — l^egsction, No. 1729 Twenty-first Street. 
Dr. Martin Garcia Merou, Minister. 

Austria-Hungary. — Legation, No. 1307 Connecticut Avenue. 
Mr. Ladislaus Hengelmuller von Hengervar, Envoy Extraordinary 
and Minister Plenipotentiary.* 

Belgium. — Legation, No. 1714 Connecticut Avenue. Count G. 
de Lichtervelde, Minister. 

Bohvia. — Legation. Seiior Luis Paz, Minister. Office, 15 White- 
hall Street, New York. 

^rrt:^//.— Legation, No. 1744 N Street. Senhor J. F. de Assis- 
Brasil, Minister. 

Chile. — Legation, No. 1719 De Sales Street. Senor Don Carlos 
Morla Vicuna, Minister. 

China. — Legation, No 1764 O Street. Mr. Wu Ting Fang, 
Minister. 

Colombia. — Legation, No. 1122 Thirteenth Street. Sefior Don 
Climaco Calderon, Minister. 

Costa Rica. — Legation, No. 21 11 S Street. Senor Don Joaquin 
Bernardo Calvo, Minister. 

Denmark. — Legation, No 1521 Twentieth Street. Mr. Constan- 
tin Brun, Minister. 

Dominican Republic. — Legation. Senor Alejandro Wos y Gil, 
Charge d' Affaires, 31 and 33 Broadway, New York. 

Ecuador. — Legation. Senor Don Luis Felipe Carbo, Minister. 
Office, No. 160 West Ninety-eight Street, New York. 

France. — Embassy, No. 1710 H Street. M. Jules Cambon, Am- 
bassador. 

♦This is the full title of all ministers with the exeeption of Costa Rica's 
"Minister Resident." The full title of the ambassadors is Ambassador Extra- 
ordinary and Plenipotentiary. These titles are abbreviated in this list. 

(180) 



THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS. 181 

G^^r;;m«/.— Embassy, No. 1435 Massachusetts Avenue. Herr von 
Holleben, Ambassador. 

Great Britain. — Embassy, 1300 Connecticut Avenue. The Ri.nht 
Honorable Sir Julian Pauncefote, G. C. B., G. C. M. (i., Anil^assa- 
dor. (Dean of the Diplomatic Corps.) 

Guatemala. — Legation, at the Cairo Sefior Don Antonio La/.o 
Arriaga, Minister. 

//rt///.— Legation, No. 1461 Rhode Island Avenue. Mr. J. N. 
Leger, Minister. 

Italy. — Embassy, No. 1926 I Street. Baron de Fava. Ambas- 
sador. 

Japan. — Legation,. No. 1310 N Street. Mr. Jutaro Komura, 
Minister. 

Korea. — Legation, No. 1500 Thirteenth Street. Mr. Chin Pom 
Ye, Minister. 

Mexico. — Legation, No. 1413 T Street (entrance by side street). 
Setior Don Manuel de Azpiroz, Minister. 

Netherlands.— \^Q%2iWon, No. 1746 M Street, Mr. G. de Weck- 
herlin. Minister. 

Nicaragua. — Legation, No. 1S07 H Street. Seiior Don Luis F. 
Corea, Charge d'Affaires. 

Portugal. — Legation, No. lyGr P Street. Viscount de Santo- 
Thyrso, Minister. 

/??^.?.y/rt.— Embassy, No. 1829 I Street. Count Cassini, Ambas- 
sador. 

Siam. — Legation. Phya Visuddha, Minister, 23 Ashburn Place, 
London; Washington address. The Arlington. 

Sweden and Norway. — 'Legii.txon, No. 2011 Q Street. Mr. A. 
Grip, Minister. 

57t///^t'r/^7;/^/.— Legation, No. 1518 K Street. :Mr. J. IV Pioda, 
Minister. 

r?/r/v J/— Legation, No. 1818 Q Street. Ali Ferrouh Bey. 
Minister. 

Venezuela.— \^egai\on, No. 2 Iowa Circle. wSen(»r Don Jose 
Andrade, Minister. 



LIST OF CHURCHES IN WASH- 
INGTON. 



Baptist Churches: 

E Street.— ^ Street, near Sixth Street. 

M(th—D Street, near Four-and-a-half Street 

I'zrst.—O and Sixteenth streets. 

Gay 5/r.Y^/.— Georgetown, Thirty-first and O streets 

rVZT i^'^.i'r ^;>''^^7^^-3iS Pennsylvania Avenue, S E 
G;rt^^.-South Carohna Avenue, Ninth and D streets S E 
Kendall Brajtc/i.-mnth Street, below B Street S W " " 
^^ Maryland Aveniu^.-M^ryUncl Avenue and Fourteenth Street, 

Metropolitan.— K and Sixth streets N E 
5.Y^;/.^. --Virginia Avenue and Fourth Street, N E 
and T^nfali f ^^"^ in Anacostia, East Washington, Brookland 

DireJto?y ^ ''^"* ' ' ^^'^ "^^^'"'^ ^^P^^^^ churches, see Sty 

Congregational : 

^^>'-y/-— Tenth and G streets. 

Six^'nTh's^eeS'"''-"^'''"^^ '^'''^"'' ^"'^^'^^^^ Fourteenth and 
Fifth.— ^oo I Street, N. E. 

Z/;/r.V;/ J/.';;/^;vV^'/(colored).-Eleventh and R streets 
Plymouth (colored). -2464 Sixth Street. 

Christian (Disciples of Christ) : 

Ninth 5/r^^/.— Ninth and D streets, N E 

Vermont Avejtue.—Yevmont Avenue, near N Street. 

Episcopal Churches: 

ri;r%T'''r~J^''T^'^''^^^'' Avenue and Twelfth Street. 
ri ir^ ^^^^' between Sixth and Seventh streets, S E 
C/^;'«/ -Georgetown, O and Thirty-first streets. ' " 

C/turch of the Adve7it.-\5 and Second streets 

Twff?ti:ttT^etT,1. wf'"' "^^^ ^^^^---^^^ Street. Chapel. C and 
Incarnation.—'^ and Twelfth streets 
Grrt^^.— Georgetown, 1029 Thirty-second Street 
Grace.— V> and Ninth streets, S. W 
Holy Cross.— OxQ^on Avenue. 
King Hall Chapel (colored).— 2420 Sixth Strer 

(182> 



LIST OF CHURCHES IN WASHINGTON. 183 

St. Andrew' s.—Q.oxQoxm\ and Fourteenth streets. Chapel, Mas- 
sachusetts Avenue and Eighteenth Street. 

St A?W6'i-'.— Eighth Street, near Massachusetts Avenue, iN. V^. 

si lo/m's.—YL and Sixteenth streets (Lafayette Square). 

St. Johns.— O Street and Potomac Avenue 

St Luke's (colored).— Fifteenth Street and MadisoM Avenue. 

St. MargayeTs.—NiV\\Q\\Q2iCLoi Connecticut Avenue. 

St Mar%'s.—A and Third streets, S. E. , • » 

St PatcVs —Twenty-third Street, near Pennsylvania Avenue. 

si SteI)hen's.—KenesB.\v Avenue and Fourteenth Street. 

si. r/z^w^?^'.— Eighteenth Street and ISIadison Avenue. 

rr/Vz/Vj'.-Third and C streets. _ 

There are also Episcopal chuixhes in Alexandria. Anacostia. 
Bennings. Bladensburg, and Rock Creek. 

Friends (Quakers) : 

Meeting: Lfonse. -iSii I Street. 

Jewish Synagogues: 

Adas Lsraet (ovihodox).-G and Sixth streets. 

streets. 

Lutheran Churches : 

C/irist —New Jersey Avenue and ^lorgan Street. 
Coneordm.-G and Twentieth streets, 
z;^^^,, _Thirteeiith and Corcoran streets 

St.Johamiis (German Evangelical).-32o 1 oui and 

^" \ M.zrZ-'^.— Twelfth and C streets S. W. 
i: ?'.'/'. (English).-Eleventh and H streets. 
rr/«//y.— Fourth and E streets. 
^/^;^._Sixth and P streets. 

Methodist Churches : . streets 

/-r^/./rv AI E )— Georgetown. Thirty-fifth and 1 strccis. 

^°C.t"Sf 'l/r-Aneth. Prot.)-Gcorgetow„, Thivty-fnst Street, 
between M andN streets Fleventh and II streets. N. E. 

^::;:i;^i^er^:^^^^^i£^^^ K streets. 



f street, 



184 HANDY GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 

First (Meth. Prot.)— Virginia Avenue and Fifth Street. S. E. 

Fletcher Chapel {W. E.)— New York Avenue and Fourth Street. 

Foundry (M. E.) — G and Fourteenth streets. 

Gorsuch (M. E.) — L and Four-and-a-half streets, S. W. 

Grace (M. E.) — Ninth and S streets. 

Hamline (M. E.) — Ninth and P streets. Mission, 214 R Street. 

Independent QK. E.) — Eleventh Street, between G and I streets. 

Langdoji Memorial (M. E.) — 1337 Tenth Street. 

MacKendree {M. E.)— Massachusetts Avenue, near Ninth Street. 

Marvin (M. E. South).— Tenth and B streets, S. E. 

Metropolitan Memorial {)sl. E.) — C and Four-and-a-half streets. 

Mount Olivet {M. E. South).— Seventh Street, near C vStreet, S. W. 

Mount Vernon Place (M. E. South).— Ninth and K streets. 

North Capitol (M. E.) — North Capitol and K sfreets. 

North Carolina Avejme (Meth. Prot.)— North Carolina Avenue 
and B Street, S. E. 

Ryland{M. E.)— D and Tenth streets, S. W. 

St. John's (Meth. Prot.)— Third Street, near K Street, S. W. 

7";-/;//// (M. E.)— Fourth Street, between South Carolina Avenue 
and G Street, S. E. 

Twelfth Street (M. E.)— Twelfth and E streets, S. E. 

Union (M. E.) — Twentieth Street, near Pennsylvania Avenue. 

Waugh Chapel m. E.)— Third and A streets, S. E. 

Wesley Chapel {U. E.)— Fifth and F streets. 

Methodist churches also exist at Anacostia, Bennings, Bladens- 
burg, Brightwood, Brookland, Little Falls, and Tennallytown; and 
there are thirty colored churches in the city, the addresses of which 
will be found in the City Directory. 

Presbyterian : 

Assembly's. — Fifth and I streets. 

Central. — I and Third streets. 

Covena?it. — Connecticut Avenue and Eighteenth Street. 

Eastern. — Maryland Avenue and Sixth Street, N. E. 

Fifteenth Street (colored). — Fifteenth Street, between I and K 
streets. 

First. — Four-and-a-half Street, between C and D streets. 

Fourth. — Ninth Street and Grant Place. 

Gu7iton Temple Memorial. — Fourteenth and R streets. 

Gur ley Memorial. — Florida Avenue, between Sixth and Seventh 
streets. 

Metropolita7i. — Fourth and B streets, S. E. 

New York Avenue. — New York Avenue, between Thirteenth 
and Fourteenth streets. Missions at Thirteenth and C streets, and 
on M Street, between Four-and-a-half and Sixth streets, S. W. 

North. — N Street, between Ninth and Tenth streets. 

Peck Memorial. — Pennsylvania Avenue and Twenty-eighth 

■ Sixth Street.— C and Sixth streets, S. W. 
Western. — H Street, near Nineteenth Street 



LIST OF CHURCHES IN WASHINGTON. 185 

Westminster. — Seventh and D streets, vS. W. 

West Street.— V Street, near Thirty-first Street, Georgetown. 

Roman Catholic: 

Iinniaculate Coiiceptio7i. — Eighth and N streets. 

St. Aloysms.—^oxi\\ Capitol and 1 streets. 

St. Augustine (colored).— Fifteenth Street, near L Street. 

St. Donii?iic.—^\yM\ and E streets, S. W. 

St. Joseph's (German).— Second and C streets, N, E. 

St. Marfs. — Fifth and H streets. 

St. Mattlietu's.— Fifteenth and H streets. 

St. Patrick's. — Tenth Street, between F and G streets. 

St. Peter's. — Second and C streets, S. E. 

St. Stephen's. — Pennsylvania Avenue and Twenty-fifth Street. 

St. Teresa' s. — Uniontown . 

Trinity. — First and Lingan streets, Georgetown. 

Lesser Denominations : 

Christadelphian CJmrch. — 1 13 Pennsylvania Avenue. 

Dutch Refornicd.—Y'wAt Church, Sixth and N streets. Grace 
Church, Fifteenth and P streets. 

People's Church. — 423 G Street. 

Seventh Day Adventists' Church.— Eighth Street, between F 
and G streets. 

Swede7iborgian. — New Church, Corcoran and Eighteenth streets. 
African, V and Tenth streets. 

Unitarian.— hW^ovX's Church, Fourteenth and L streets. 

U7iited Brethren .—MemonaX Church, North Capitol and R streets. 

Universalist.—Chnrch of our Father, Thirteenth and L streets. 



INDEX. 



PAGE 
AGRICULTURE, Department of m 

-^ Alexandria 156 

American Republics, Bureau of ... 103 

Anacostia 7^ 

Anacostia River 155 

Apartment Houses 12 

Arlington 161 

Army and Navy Club 150 

Army Medical Museum 119 

Art Galleries 146 

Astrophysical Observatory 115 

BALTIMORE and Ohio Station.. 7 
Battle Cemetery. 166 

Bierstadt, Albert 34 

Bladensburg 178 

Boarding Houses n 

Botanical Garden 73 

British Embassy 135 

Brown, Henry Kirke 31 

Brumidi, Constantino 26 

Bulwer House, The 124 

Bureaus, etc.: 

American Republics 103 

Coast and Geodetic Survey 66 

Engraving and Printing no 

Ethnology -.. 114 

Geological Survey 100 

Indian 100 

Land Office -- 100 

Patent Office 99 

Pension loi 

Printing Office 102 

Weather 112 

px\BIN John Bridge 177 

^ Capitol Guides 32 

Capitol Hill -..- ---- 66 

Capitol, The 18 

Dome - 26 

Eastern Front 21 

Grand Central Portico 22 

House of Representatives 32 

Marble Room 42 

President's Room 42 

Rogers' Bronze Doors 23 

Rotunda 23 

Senate Bronze Doors... 41 

Senate Chamber 39 

Senate Lobby 42 

Statuary Hall 28 

Statue of Liberty 27 

Supreme Court Chamber 45 

Terrace - - 47 

Western Front . _ 47 

Catholic University of America... 168 

( 



PAGE 
Cemeteries : 

Arlington National... 162 

Battle 166 

Congressional 68 

Mt. Olivet 178 

Oak Hill 173 

Rock Creek 167 

Roman Catholic 168 

Soldiers' Home 167 

Center Market 74 

Chain Bridge 176 

Chapman, John Gadsby 25 

Chevy Chase 171 

Chinese Legation 127 

Christ Church 68 

Christ Church Cemetery 69 

Churches i45> 182 

City Hall 17 

City Waterworks 177 

Civil Service Commission 103 

Clubs 149 

Coast and Geodetic Survey 66 

Columbia Athletic Club 150 

Columbian University 127 

Commissioners of Education. 100 

Commissions : 

Civil Service 103 

Fish 119 

Inter-State Commerce 103 

Venezuela Boundary 103 

Conduit Road 177 

Congressional Burial Ground 68 

Connecticut Avenue 108, 135 

Convention Hall 102, 149 

Corcoran Art Gallery 146 

Cosmos Club ..- 127 

Court of Claims 96 

Crawford, Thomas 22 

DEAD Letter Office 97 
Decatur House, The 125 

Departments : 

Agriculture m 

Interior 96 

Justice 94 

Labor - 103 

Navy 89 

Post Office 76, 95 

State 87 

Treasury --- 91 

War - 89 

Diplomatic Corps, The 144, 180 

Distributing Reservoir 165 

District and INIunicipal Affairs 13 

Duddington Manor 66 

Dupont Circle 136 

Dupont, Statue of Adm. Samuel F. . 136 

180) 



INDEX. 



18- 



PAGE 

pARLY'S Raid 165 

•*-' Eckington 170 

Edgewood 168 

Education, Office of the Commis- 
sioner of 100 

Emancipation of the Slaves, Statue 68 
Engraving and Printing, Bureau of no 

Etiquette, Official 139 

Everett House, The 129 

Excursions About Washington ... 153 
Executive Mansion 79 

pALLS Church 164 

-*■ Farragut, Statue of Adiniral 

David G. 135 

Farragut Square 135 

Fish Commission, The United 

States 119 

Force, Peter 49 

Ford's Theater 75 

Fort Foote 156 

Fort Lyon 156 

Fort Monroe, Steamboat to 8 

Fort Myer 161 

Fort Totten 167 

Fort Stevens 165 

Fort Washington 157 

Fort Whipple 156 

Fourteenth Street 126 

Franklin Square 126 

Franklin, Statue of Benjamin 75 

French Embassy 129 

GARFIELD, Shooting of Presi- 
dent 7 

Garfield, Statue of Pres. James A. . 73 

Geographic Names, Board on 100 

Geological Survey 100 

Georgetown 171 

Georgetown College - - 172 

Glen Echo i75i 176 

Glen Echo Heights 176 

Giesboro Point 155 

Government Hospital for Insane.. 155 

Government Printing Office 102 

Grant's (General) Headquarters... 89 

Great Falls of the Potomac 176 

Greene, Statue of Major-General 

Nathaniel 54 

Greenough, Horatio 18 

Gridiron Club -- 15° 

Gross Monument 119 

LJACKS and Cabs 8 

*- ^ Halls of the Ancients 151 

Hallsall, Wm. F 44 

Hancock, Statue of General - 74 

Healv, George P. A. 82 

Histo'ric and Picturesque Washing- 
ton 121 

Historic Houses : 

Bulwer House 124 

Decatur House 125 

Duddington Manor 66 



TT- I'AOE 

Historic Hf)uses— coniinucd : 

Everett House 129 

Octagon House 107 

Seward House 123 

vSumner House 124 

Van Ness Mansion 2<; 

Wirt House ,29 

Hospital Square. 68 

Hotels 8 

Houdon, jean Antoine 30 

Howard University i6<; 

H Street.... ."::.":. ,27 

Hunting Creek 154 

INAUGURAL Ball, The loi 

^ Indian Bureau 100 

Interior, Department of the 96 

Inter-State Commerce Commission 103 

Iowa Circle 137 

I Street 130 

Ivy City Race Track. 178 

JACKSON, Statute of President 

J Andrew 122 

Justice, Department of 94 

TZENDALL Green 175 

^*- K Street 131 

T ABOR, Department of 103 

^ Lafayette Memorial Statue... 122 

Lafayette Square 121 

Land Office, General loo 

Latrobe, Benj. H 20 

Leutze, Emanuel 34 

Library, Free Public 103 

Library of Congress 49 

Lincoln, Assassination of President 75 

Lincoln Square 68 

Little Falls of the Potomac 176 

Logan, Statue of Gen. John A 137 

Long Bridge... 109 

Louise Home 133 

Luther, Martin, Statue of 126 

MCPHER.SON Square 130 
McPherson, Statue of 130 

Maltbv Building 67 

Marine Barracks 70 

Marshall Hall i6o 

Marshall, Statue of Chief Justice 

lohn 47 

:\Iassaehusetts Avenue 132 

:Metropolitan Club 129 

Metropolitan Hotel 74 

Mexican Legation 130 

]Moran, Thomas 44 

Mount Olivet Cemetery 178 

Mount Vernon »53 

^TATTONAL Fair Grounds 178 
'I National Hotel 74 

National Military Cemetery 162 

National Museuifi, The 115 

Naval Hospital 7° 



188 



INDEX. 



PAGE 

Naval Monument 72 

Naval Observatory 167 

Navy Department and MiKseum. _. 90 

Navy Yard 69 

Neagle,John 36 

New Hampshire Avenue 137 

Norfolk, Steamboat to 8 

pvAK Hill Cemetery 173 

^-^ Oak View 175 

Octagon House, The 107 

Old Capitol Prison 66 

pALMER, Erastus Dow 31 

^ Patent Office 99 

Peale, Charles Wilson 43 

Pennsylvania Avenue ..- 72 

Pennsylvania Railroad Station 7 

Pension Bureau loi 

Post Office, General 76, 97 

Post Office. New 76 

Potomac River Excursions 154 

Powell, Wm. H.__ 25 

Powers, Hiram 35 

President's Grounds 80 

Public Printer 102 

T> AILROADS and Stations. 7, 160, 172 
■*^ Rawlins, Statue of General. __ 75 

Redemption Agency 94 

Residences, Prominent 121 

Restaurants 12 

Rhode Island Avenue 136 

Rock Creek Church 167 

Rogers, Randolph 23 

CCHEFFER, Ary 34 

'^ Scott Circle 133 

Scott, Statue of General. _ 133 

Seventh Street 74 

Seward House, The 123 

Shops 13 

Simmons, Franklin _ 31 

Sixteenth Street 132 

Smithsonian Institution 113 

Social Formalities at Official 

Houses 142 

Soldiers' Home 164, 166 

St. John's Episcopal Church 122 

Stanton Square 67 

vState, Department of 87 

Statues : 

Daguerre 119 

Dupont, Adm. Samuel F. 136 

Emancipation of the Slaves 68 

Farragut, Adm. David G 135 

Franklin, Benjamin 75 

Garfield, President James A. .. 73 
Greene, Maj.-Gen. Nathaniel.. 54 

Gross. Dr. S. D ng 

Hancock, (ien. Winfield vS. 74 

Henry, Prof. Joseph 113 

In the Capitol 28, 30 



PAGE 
Statues — continued : 

Jackson, President Andrew ... 122 

Lafayette Meinorial 122 

Lincoln, A 17, 30, 68 

Logan, John A 120 

Luther 126 

Marshall, Chief Justice John .. 47 
McPherson, Major-Gen. Jas. B. 130 
Rawlins, Major-Gen. John A. . 75 

Scott, Gen. Winfield 133 

Thomas, Gen. George H. 126 

Washington, George 18, 137 

Steamboat Landing 8 

Stone, Horatio 30 

Street-car System 8 

Stuart, Gilbert Charles . . . 36 

Sumner House, The 124 

'rENNALLYTOWN 175 

^ Theaters 149 

Thomas Circle 126 

Thomas, Statue of Gen. George H. 126 

Toner, J. M. 49 

Treasury, The 91 

Tunlaw Heights.. 175 

T TNIVERSITIES: 

^ American 174 

Catholic 168 

Columbian 127 

Howard 165 

WAN Der Lyn, John 25 

^ Van Ness Mansion, The 107 

Venezuela Boundary Commission. 103 

\;\/AGGAMAN Gallery, The 148 

^* Walker, James 43 

War Department 89 

Washington Barracks 155 

Washington Circle 137 

Washington's Mansion at Mount 

Vernon 158 

Washington Monument 104 

Washington, Statues of George, 18, 137 

Washington, Tomb of 158 

Water Works, of the City 177 

Weather Bureau 112 

Weir, Robert W 25 

Wesley Heights 167 

White House, or Executive Man- 
sion 79 

White House, Social Formalities 

at the 139 

Whitney, Anne 32 

Winder Building... 89 

Willard's Hotel 77 

Wirt House, The 129 

Woodley Heights. _ 175 

Y M. C. A 150 

7OOLOGICAL Park 169 



ADVERTISEMENTS. 



Butts & Phillips, Washington, D. C, 

Chesapeake & Ohio Railway, 

Fredonia, The, Washington, D. C, 

Green's Hotel, Philadelphia, Pa., 

Halls of the Ancients, 

Hamilton, The, Washington. D. C. 

Hotel Empire, New York City, 

Hotel Wellington, Washington, D. C, 

La Fetra's Hotel and Cafe, Washington, D. C 

La Normandie Hotel, Washington, D. C, 

Norris, Jas. L., Washington, D. C, . 

Raleigh, The, Washington, D. C, . 

Riggs House, Washington, D. C, .... 

Seaboard Air Line, 

Soulas, Chas. W., Famous Restaurant and Raths-Keller 

Southern Railway Company 

Washington, Alexandria & Mount Vernon Railway. 
Washington Souvenir Company, 



Opposite page 



Opposite l^agc 



Opposite page 



Opposite page 

5 and 

Opposite page 



103 
ii 
ix 

171 

vii 
vi 

3 

iv 
iii 

131 

xiii 

Si 

II 

i 

xi 

xii 

viii 

V 



(389) 



Write or call for our "POINTS OF INTEREST "--Illustrated. 




YOU ARE INVITED 



TO INSPECT OUR 



SOUVENIRS 

AND 

PHOTOGRAPHS. 



POST CARDS, 50 DIFFERENT DESIGNS 
PHOTOGRAVURE AND HALF-TONE ALBUflS, 
LIBRARY GUIDES AND CITY MAPS 
STICK PINS, FLAG AND WASHINGTON HEAD, 



2 for 5 cents 

15 cents up 

10 cents 

5 cents 



Color pi^otograpl^s 

Stcrlipg Silver 

Garboi^ Prli^ts 



D33 r* WASHINGTON 



1533 



PENNSYLVANIA AVE. 
OPPOSITE MT. VERNON ELECTRIC RY. 



(V) 






.^>fiifSi? 




THE HAMILTON 

Corner 14th and K Streets N. W., 
WASHINGTON, D. C. 

A modern house, where many statesmen and their 
families have made it their homes for many years. 
Strietly first-class, very conveniently and pleasantly 
located in the fashionable northwest section of the 
city, facing Franklin Park, within three squares of 
the White House, Treasury, State, War, and Navy 
buildings, and easy of access to all points of interest 
by the electric cars which pass the door. 

Many improvements have recently been made. It 
is equipped with elevator, electric bells, two iron fire- 
escapes, etc. 

Good rooms are always in reserve for transients, 
and ladies traveling alone will receive special atten- 
tion and be treated'in the most courteous manner. 

Guests arriving at either the Penna. or the B. & O. 
R. R. station can take yellow car going west, direct to 
hotel. 

The Regular Rates are $2.50 and $3.00 per day 

(American Plan only.) 

Special Rates by the Week, !>lonth, and Season. 

BALL & POLLARD. Props. 



(vi) 



l>allsorti)cJliicknt$ 

constructed for the 
promotion of 

National Galleries 
of History and Art 

in Washington 



Admissions to the Halls. 

IT has been the general expression from thousands who 
have entered the Halls that they are astonished at 
their extent (more than three-fourths of an acre in 
floor space), and the great variety of material they 
supply for thoughtful observation. 
A general view, by one course through them, absorbs 
attention, leaving no time for study of details. 

To secure, therefore, the instructive opportunities 
offered, the following moderate terms of admission are 
established for the year 1899. 

The Halls are open Daily, except Sunday, from 
9 A. M. to 10 p. M. 

Season tickets, not transferable, $5.00 
Monthly " " '' 2.00 

Weekly " " " i.oo 

Excursion rates, 25 cents for parties of 10 and over from 
beyond Washington. 

Parties of 25 and upwards, of Washington, at excursion 
rate. 

For (lescriptioi: and illustrations of this, see jmges 148 C and 151 
and opposite j)ai>;es,_ 1 49, 150/and 151. 

HALLS OF THE ANCIENTS, 

Nos. 1312, 1314, 1316, and 1318 New York Avenue, 
Between 13TH and 14TH Sts., Washington. 



To Arlington 
and iviount Vemon 



FIRST in Neatness, 
FIRST in Completeness, and 
FIRST in the hearts of 
the Tourist. 



Take the quick, comfortable, convenient route 

The Electric Trains 

From 1 3% St. and Pa. Ave. 



Trains leave for 
Arlington about 
every Forty-five 
Minutes ^ J> J' 

t^^ ^^ t^^ ^^ ^^ 



Trains leave for 
Mount Vernon 
every hour ^ J' 
J> from 10 a. m. 
to 2 p. m. J' J' 



Tourists can make the round 
trip and see Mount Vernon 
thoroughly in three hours by 
this route. 
• •••••••• 

These electric trains give a de- 
lightful ride along the Poto- 
mac — pass within sight of the 
old forts Lyons and Foote — 
run through Alexandria, and 
go through the entire estate 
formerly owned by George 
Washington, a distance of 
about four miles. 



Through tickets to Mount Vernon allow 
stop-over privileges at ALEX/\INDRiy\, to 

see Christ's Church (where Washington 
worshiped), the Marshall House (where 
Colonel Ellsworth was killed), and many- 
other points of interest. 



Washington, Alexandria & Mount Vernon Raiiway 

G. E. ABBOT, President. J. COLIN, Superintendent. G. R. PHILLIPS, Special Agent 

(viii) 



FREDONIA 



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1321-1323 H Street, Northwest, WASHINGTON, D. C. 

"the FREDONIA HOTEL, A MODERN HOTEL HOME." 

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of cars, and is in the midst of many of the city's most prominent points 
of interest. It is conducted upon both the American and European 
Plans and has a cuisine not excelled by any hostelry in the city." 

RATES. 
American : One person, $2.00 per day, $12 per week, $40 per month 
and upward. Two persons, $3.50 per day, $20 per week, 
$75 per month and upward. 
European : Rooms, one person, $ I per day and upward. Two persons, 
$ 1 .50 per day and upward. 
Special Excursion Rates will be quoted to parties of twenty or more 
upon application to 

WM. W. DANENHOWER, Proprietor. 




(ix) 



The latest 

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Speaker of the 

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"I commend the book most highly." 

WILLIAM 3IcKINLEY, 

President of the United States 

*' Reasonable, right, and rigid." 

J. STEKLINO MORTON, 

Ex-Secretary of Agriculture. 

CLOTH, 75 CENTS, 
LEATHER, $1.25. ^ 

RAND, McNALLY & CO., Publishers, 
CHICAGO. 

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Ticket offices in Washing^ton, D. C: 

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KKW YOHK-271 r.Kiadway, Nat. Shoo & Leather Bank BldR., Alex. S. Thweatt, East'u Pass'r Agt 
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lUI/l'IMOKE— At '.'Ol E. i:,iltini<)re St., cor Baltimore and Calvert Sts., J. C. Horton, 1 asb i Agi 
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FRANK S. GANNON. 3d Vice-Pres. and Gen'l Mgr., J. M. CULP. Traffic Mgr., W. A. TURK, Gen'l Pass'r Agt 

WASHINGTON, D. C. 



(xii) 



Long Distance 'Phone 1483. 



JAMES L. NORRIS 

MEMBER OF THE PATENT LAW ASSOCIATION, 

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(.\iii ) 



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